The science of un-scooped-dog-poop

I’ve been a licensed community association manager for a number of years and I always keep my ear to the ground when it comes to community issues — especially those related to resolving nuisances in neighborhoods.

More times than not, gated communities are professionally managed but they are governed by an elected board made up of neighbors whose primary qualification to govern is that they are, themselves, homeowners or condominium owners.

It can get testy. Board meetings can get loud. Tempers seem to flare at the mention of what outsiders might see as trivial transgressions but others see as monumental violations of the infamous restrictive covenants and conditions of the neighborhood.

Sometimes solutions to problems present themselves in unexpected ways. According to a recently published article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, one condominium association is seriously considering taking advantage of DNA testing to solve a mystery of which unit owner is neglecting to adequately clean up after their pooch.

I have been a pet owner most of my life and even though I think my pet hung the moon, my neighbors aren’t required to agree with me — especially if I turn my pet loose to do their business on the neighbor’s lawn.

In any event, I am encouraged to learn that the entrepreneurial spirit abounds and necessity has once again given birth to invention. We now have a private veterinary laboratory in Tennessee that is collecting, analyzing and recording canine DNA.

Bio-Pet Vet Lab has come up with a product they imaginatively call “PooPrints” which has been on the market for about a year.

For a mere $30, dog owners can obtain their pet’s unique DNA profile by sending the lab a swab of the pet’s saliva. The profile can help you identify a missing pet or exonerate your pet from false accusations in the case of suspiciously un-scooped-dog-poop.

According to Jim Simpson, President of Bio-Pet Vet Lab, un-scooped-dog-poop has become such a nuisance that some homeowners and condominium associations are seriously considering a way to implement the program as part of a pet registration process. Apartment complexes have added the DNA testing to their rental agreements for tenants who will have pets.

In my condominium complex in North City, our association documents allow owners to have two pets — renters are not allowed to have pets at all. Some associations go so far as to publish the identity of the guilty parties in the association newsletter, while others fine the offenders — some reportedly as much as $500.00 per occurrence.

I served for two terms as President of our condominium association and concerns surrounding animal waste, allergies to pet dander and barking were the main issues that residents and board members had to deal with.

Boards take amending their community’s restrictive covenants very seriously, as they should. At least one advocate group that tries to convince condominium associations to permit pets sees using DNA registration as a way to help promote their cause.

Citizens for Pets in Condos, a non-profit Tamarac-based organization said that the cost of DNA testing by PooPrints could be passed on to pet owners. The program could make pet ownership more attractive to condominium boards since a DNA match is considered irrefutable and would provide solid evidence on which to levy a fine for un-scooped-dog-poop violations. The group pointed out that this service could prove helpful to both unit owners who want pets as well as condominium boards who need assurance that the environments are cleaned up.