Tail End Is your dog a poopetrator? Stepping in it is bad enough, but the environmental impact of pet waste is much larger. While most pet owners are responsible enough to pick up after their pets, there are those who do not. It’s a touchy subject that is often difficult to discuss with a neighbor, but in some states, dog owners who refuse to pick up their dog’s waste, could be stopped with a simple test. A growing number of neighborhood associations and apartment complexes in the U.S. are mandating that residents submit a DNA sample from their pet. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? across the U.S., fed-up apartment complexes and neighborhood associations are implementing PooPrints, a program that matches samples of unclaimed dog waste to DNA collected through pets' mouth swabs. The goal is to impose more responsibility among pet owners and encourage them to pick up their pet’s waste. Here’s how it works: An owner swabs the inside of their dog's mouth and sends the specimen to PooPrints. PooPrints then determines the genetic profile and records it in a database. To make a match, the association sends a nugget-size feces sample in a preservative-filled vial to PooPrints for analysis.
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Violators, if caught, are charged a $60 fee - the price to cover the DNA test. Repeat offenders may be asked to move elsewhere. Property management says that it’s not about making money, it’s about maintaining the community and having a nice place for residents to live. We all know that pet waste is a health hazard. According to PooPrint statistics, a single pet creates 276 pounds of waste per year. They also report that 40 percent of 20 billion pounds of dog waste is not picked up, and that dog waste contains harmful diseases that could harm everyone’s health. These diseases include salmonella, E. coli, campylobacter and leptospira. As pet owners, we all need to be responsible for what our pets leave behind. Be sure to scoop Fido’s poop to ensure a happy relationship with your fellow neighbors.