Posted on 05/09/2019 3:10:33 PM PDT by Kaslin
It’s really annoying when people take their dogs out for a walk and don’t clean up after them, isn’t it? Being a dog owner/walker myself, I always make sure to bring a plastic bag along with me to clean up after Jake and I have pointed out to others that they should do likewise when I see someone being negligent. And yet, not everyone is so responsible, but what do we do about it? One apartment complex in Pennsylvania has come up with a rather unique solution. They’re building a DNA database of all the dogs that live there so they can send offending samples found on the grass out for analysis. (CBS Philadelphia)
A Delaware County apartment complex is going to extreme lengths to deal with residents who don’t clean up after their dogs. The Governor Sproul Apartments in Marple Township is swabbing dogs to get their DNA.
“They’re asking all of their pet owners to get DNA from their dogs,” said Rose Renzulli.
Governor Sproul management has grown tired of “party pooper tenants” not picking up after their four-legged friends. They even offer free bags and a friendly reminder to clean up.
“I didn’t realize we had a dog doo problem,” one resident said.
So how does your average apartment manager go about setting up a lab and building a doggy DNA database? She doesn’t. They have owners swab their dogs and send the sample out to a place called Poo Prints. (Yes, that’s a real service.) The company, which describes itself at their website as “a proven dog poop management service,” enters each dog’s DNA into the DNA World Pet Registry database.
Then, when anyone finds an unscooped “sample” on the apartment complex grounds, maintenance workers collect some of it and mail it off to Poo Prints, where it’s tested against the known database of registered dogs. If they get a match, the owner can be fined up to $250, along with being shamed by all their neighbors, no doubt.
My first question (of many) was how they could get everyone in compliance. If you’re someone who regularly lets your dog poop on the public square without cleaning it up, why would you submit a DNA sample? Turns out that the apartment complex is making compliance with the DNA swabbing part of their lease agreement.
You can see this sort of thing spiraling out of control quickly. Pretty soon all of the shelters and pet stores could be coerced into providing DNA samples of every dog they adopt or sell. Once the database is large enough, they’d have a record of a majority of pets along with where they live sooner or later. I know the police would dearly love to have a complete database of every human being in the country, but you pesky privacy advocates seem to be opposed to that. The dogs don’t have any lawyers (or constitutional rights for that matter), however, so this could really happen.
Orwellian or just good property management? You be the judge.
One of the reasons I avoid community living. I don’t particularly care about the dog poop problems, but don’t like folks going nuts over small stuff either.
I was actually an HOA prez for a good stint. I was only interested in spending and what projects the HOA tackled for work on common property. Lots of folks worried about that dog doo bit though. I let other board members deal w/that sh*t, pun intended.
The prob I see w/this rule though is that it’s tanatamount to requesting someone to give up rights, e.g., if you want my dog’s dna, get a warrant. It’s not a position of the dog’s rights, as the dog is not the one fined.
Obviously, what they would do in this case is not give you a lease, which actually raises another interesting angle.
I don’t know what CAs contract law is like, but in some states, when a lease or contract is found to be partly unconstitutional, the entire contract is declared void - a de novo state. Other states can void just the nasty bit.
So technically, you could sign this lease and never be forced to actually pay anything as you can have it found unconstitutional (in a de novo state).
You’d still get evicted, but the civil case going through the courts would likely delay your getting the boot.
My tennant has a dog. Dog poop is not a problem. Dog Pee is.
Well, THERE's your problem right there, Lady.
The author erroneously makes it sound like this is the first apt complex ever to do it. This business has many customers across the country.
> They’re building a DNA database of all the dogs that live there so they can send offending samples found on the grass out for analysis.
Good management. I live in an apartment complex and have a decent sized dog - 80 pounds or so and have recommended Poo-Prints to the management.
Jerks that don’t pick up after their dogs should have the offending turds stuffed under their front door along with an eviction notice. Just my humble opinion. ;-)
“Where do I mail the sample?
23andPee
You ought to try walking and picking up the poop of three German Shepherds, with one of them being Maximillian Von Poopsalot.
But yep, I carry 6+ plastic bags in my pocket, and I pick up all their sh!t, except for the rare occasion that a stool is pure liquid, then I cannot actually grab that, so I have no choice but to leave it.
Sometimes on the way home I have to manage 3 Shepherds, 6 bags of sh!t, a big red plastic football and a ball thrower, and a bottle of water.
And then a squirrel crosses our path, and away I go!
Well, that stinks.
One of our kids live in an apartment complex that does this. In the lease agreement you sign a dog owner portion , if you fail to clean up after your dog you get a $500.00 clean up cost etc bill.
My brother rented a townhouse in Eden Prairie Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, a few years ago. He had to provide a sample.
DIY DOGGIE POO CAMOUFLAGE
Ah yes, the creativity of product invention.
DIY Do It Yourself. Collect doo samples at the park from various dogs. Collect lots of differing DNA.
Mix it thouroughly. Put just a little in a bottle of water.
When puppy pet poos, spray on some camouflage.
That is the less reliable wet version. A more robust solution is a dry mixture much like ordinary fertilizer. And if you are brave, smash it together.
If the minder State comes after you, obtain their sample and have it tested. Multiple DNA in a sample is a throwaway verdict. :-)
Hmmmm. Follow the money.
Perhaps this scheme is being pushed by people who run dog poop labs. Or those who have invested in them.
DOGGIE POO ROOMBA
It is an idea waiting to be invented. A small motorized dog poo collector.
I hereby relinquish all patent rights to the general public.
Farm kid
I pick up after my own. The people that allow their dogs to poop on my lawn get another solution.
Did you know a cheap switch and an underground watering system can cure a lot of social problems?
Had one lady get mad that her GD and her got a bath. They were sitting ten feet inside my lawn when I hit the switch.
Dog seemed to love it though.
Orwellian.
My evil side would be tempted to collect tons of samples from public parks and place them all over the complex so they would be kept constantly busy testing samples that would never match a residents dog.
Now I wouldn’t do that but my evil side sure would think it.
Don’t stop at dogs.. get cats to submit samples too... and squirrels, rabbits, homeless.. ya know.. Diversity yields results, right?
Sounds like a fantastic opportunity for some liberal basement dweller to start a business selling anonymous untraceable poo to the downtown pet owners.
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