A condominium complex in Brooklyn, NY has turned to science to help curb canine owners from neglecting to clean up after their dogs. “ . . .dog waste had been a persistent problem, especially during inhospitable weather, when people were allowing their pets to relieve themselves in stairwells and corridors”
According to a legal website that specializes in laws pertaining to dogs, “Section 161.03 of the New York City Health Code . . .there are a lot of places where your dog can’t poop: . . . on a sidewalk of any public place, on a floor, wall, stairway or roof of any public or private premises used in common by the public . . . “
Residents now have to submit their furry friends for a DNA blood test and the results will be kept in a database. When feces are found in a banned area, a swipe of the offending excrement will be sent to the labs to be analyzed and the owners will receive a fine.
Although the implementation of this new program had some tenants concerned about possible unscrupulous ramifications that this DNA program might conjure up. “Theoretically you could get back at [a] person . . .by following her as she walked her dog, retrieving the waste she deposited in the garbage and leaving it relatively close to her door.”
Anxieties aside, this type of stool surveillance has proven very successful in Naples, Italy when it was introduced in 2014. “Now, when I walk the streets, the presences have greatly diminished,” Captain Del Gaudio said. “Before, it was like an obstacle course. Every day, a child would walk into school with a little gift under her shoe.”
The dog DNA database began in May 2015 at the Brooklyn condominium and it has proven to be a success as well. “Since enforcement of DNA testing . . . seven matches have been made, and fines of $250 attached to each. One resident has been found in violation twice. But over all the program has proved to be a significant deterrent.”
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