PooPrints is a DNA pet waste management service which helps condominium, apartments and senior living communities to identify owners who are not picking up their dog’s waste.
It’s basically CSI for dog poop.
As part of lease or purchase agreements, there is mandatory DNA testing of the resident’s dogs which is done with a mouth swab. PooPrints analyses the dog’s DNA and then adds it to its database.
If a pile of poop is found on the property, site managers collect a sample of poop using a PooPrints sample collection kit and send it to the lab for testing. Because cells of the intestine are sloughed off as feces passes through the digestive tract, DNA can be extracted from the sample and matched to the profiles found in the database.
And then the offending dog owner can receive a warning, citation or other enforcement action taken against them.
This type of profiling works well in closed communities because there’s a mechanism for capturing the DNA of the dogs who live there.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
DoggyMom.com 