CSI: Canine Scat Investigation

Unless someone at Reuters news service is pulling a fast one, this story seems to be real:

Israeli city uses DNA to fight dog poop
Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:33pm EDT By Avida Landau

PETAH TIKVA, Israel (Reuters) - An Israeli city is using DNA analysis of dog droppings to reward and punish pet owners.

Under a six-month trial program launched this week, the city of Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, is asking dog owners to take their animal to a municipal veterinarian, who then swabs its mouth and collects DNA.

The city will use the DNA database it is building to match feces to a registered dog and identify its owner.

Owners who scoop up their dogs' droppings and place them in specially marked bins on Petah Tikva's streets will be eligible for rewards of pet food coupons and dog toys.

But droppings found underfoot in the street and matched through the DNA database to a registered pet could earn its owner a municipal fine.

That’s how far one community will go to maintain clean streets. And while cash-strapped Plattsburgh can’t afford DNA analysis of dogshit, it has been observed that while there are a lot of dogs in the city, not many of them have been registered. Registration fees could help generate money for enforcement and cleanup.

If any DNA analysis is needed, it should be directed at negligent dog-owners who let Fido’s feces lie around wherever it drops. I suspect a common link could be found among all such owners: a rudeness gene.


Hat Tip: DbD

Sources:
http://gizmodo.com
http://www.reuters.com