Tel Aviv probes pooch poop to catch canine culprits

Any 'small surprise' found underfoot in the street and matched through a DNA database to a registered pet would earn its owner a municipal fine, on top of testing expenses
Noa Fisher|
Tel Aviv Municipality approved on Monday the use of DNA analysis of dog droppings to punish pet owners who neglect to pick up after Fido.
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  • As part of the new pooch DNA-testing by-law, the central Israeli city will build a database comprised of saliva samples collected from animals brought in for their annual rabies inoculation.
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    (Photo: Shutterstock)
    Any "small surprises" found underfoot in the street and matched through the DNA database to a registered pet would earn its owner a municipal fine, on top of testing expenses.
    With more than 40,000 households holding canine companions, Tel Aviv boasts one of the world's highest pup-per-person ratios as one of every 11 residents owns a dog.
    According to city hall data, local authorities pick up on average nearly 500 kilograms (1,100lbs) of unscooped dog waste from public places each month.
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    (Photo: Shutterstock)
    In April, Tel Aviv City Hall launched a curb-your-dog campaign calling on owners to scoop after their four-legged friends after recording a steep hike in complaints from residents about unchecked mutt muck throughout 2020. Over 3,500 fines were handed to errant owners.
    The local authority has also mapped out and ran an educational program in three of the city's neighborhoods it deemed particularly problematic, teaching owners how to properly dispose of their pet's deposits and incentivizing good behavior.
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