Doo Diligence: Dog Poop DNA Tests Track Down Violators
A condo complex in northern New Jersey is straddling the fine line between crazy and crazy awesome by saying it will now use a CSI-like DNA testing system to identify dog poop violators.
The Grande, located in Riverdale, NJ, sent a letter out to residents citing "a small percentage of residents who have not been doing their due diligence" in picking up after their dogs, says news site northjersey.com.
The condo will be swabbing the mouths of residents' dogs in order to obtain DNA samples, CBS News reports. The cost of the initial DNA testing will be covered by registration fees the dog-owning condo residents have already paid. However, any owner who fails to bring their dogs in for the swabbing on time will be fined $100.
Once all the dogs' DNA tests are on file, any dog droppings found on the property will be tested, and the negligent owners will be fined. The cost of the poo tests will be paid for out of the fines, which are steep enough to deter even the laziest slob of a dog owner. First-time offenders will be fined $250 and second-time offenders will be fined $500. Anyone who has still failed to learn their lesson after that will be fined $1,000, says ABC News.
Related: 12 hilarious photos of dogs caught in strange places
The Grande is using the awesomely-named company PooPrints, which apparently provides dog poop DNA testing services to apartment complexes, homeowners' associations, and neighborhoods across the country. One condo manager in the Boston area told the Boston Globe that initiating the dog doo DNA testing has virtually eliminated the problem of pet waste on their property.
"People stepped in it, they walked in it; it was disgusting," property manager Matthew Harris told the Globe. "Now, there's no pet waste at all since we introduced the pet DNA. It's a vast, vast improvement."
Personally I think this is a brilliant use of technology. It's effective and won't cost anything to the dog owners who do clean up after their pets. Plus, these aren't township laws or anything. It's a condo complex, and anyone who has ever lived in a condo or a home with a homeowners' association knows that this is how it's going to work. Don't want to pay? Don't live there…or better yet, be a responsible pet owner and clean up your dog's poop.
- By Joslyn Gray
For 25 horrifying photos of things pets have ruined, visit Babble!
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