An Israeli city is so fed up with dog droppings that it is now using DNA analysis of “found” dog droppings to reward or punish residential pet owners.
A six month trial program was launched last week in the city of petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv. The program is asking all dog owners to take their animals to a municipal veterinarian who will swab the dogs mouth and collect it’s DNA.
The city plans to use the DNA database to match found feces to registered dogs in order to identify it’s owner. Naturally this is a big effort on the cities part to get people to pick up after their dogs.
Good dog owners who scoop up their dogs droppings and place them in specially marked bins will be eligible for rewards that include pet food coupons and dog toys. However droppings found on the street will be matched to respective dog owners and those owners could get a municipal fine.
“My goal is to get the residents involved, and tell them that together, we can make our environment clean,” said Tika Bar-On, the city’s chief veterinarian who came up with the idea for the DNA experiment.
Bar-On said the DNA database could also help veterinarians research genetic diseases in dogs, investigate canine pedigree and identify stray animals, replacing the need for electronic chip identification.
“The sky is the limit on how far we can take this,” she said.
So far, Bar-On said, residents have “reacted positively to the program and are cooperating because they want their neighbourhood to be clean”.
She said Petah Tikva would consider making it mandatory for pet owners to provide DNA samples from their dogs if the trial program is successful.
Honestly … this city must have a budget surplus! Im sure there are cheaper way to get residents to clean up after their dogs!
