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A business that’s growing in popularity in Canada is hoping to keep dog owners a little more accountable.
An American company called PooPrints is using a registry of canine DNA samples to find out which owners aren’t cleaning up after their pets.
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Formed in 2008 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the service was introduced into Canada in 2016.
Garry Bradamore, Canadian representative for PooPrints, said that since its founding the company has found a way to streamline their service.
“We have an online registration link for our properties, whether it be a condominium or an apartment community. They essentially make a pet rule that makes it mandatory for every dog to register their DNA and pay for the one-time kit.
Bradamore said the process is based on a chain of custody to make sure the correct dog is cheek-swabbed.
“The pet owner makes an appointment with the property manager or concierge. The concierge or property staff hands the DNA cheek swab kit to the pet owner, and the pet owner simply swabs the cheek. They’re just trying to capture some saliva and so forth that would have DNA on it, and they give it back to the property staff. Property staff sends it down to our Knoxville, Tennessee lab, and within roughly a week and a half or two, we are able to extract DNA specific to that dog,” he said.
Bradamore said that more than 1.2 million dogs have been added to their DNA registry and more than 10,000 apartment and condominium communities are using the PooPrint system.
If someone refuses to pick up their animal’s waste, Bradamore said it’s quite a simple process to find out who’s responsible.
“The maintenance crew … take a piece of it. DNA is on the outside of waste.”
Within two weeks, Bradamore said PooPrints will provide a three-page document “and we can tell exactly which owner it belongs to.”
He said the problem can be quite an issue.
“We have heard … everything from people throwing it off their balconies, it being found in stairwells, parking garages, the mail area, you name it. “
Bradamore said the company is pet-friendly.
“That’s why we have this service. (Some) property management firms and landlords do not want to accept pets because of this,” said Bradamore.
Bradamore said that the company services some properties in Regina, but a majority of the communities using their service are in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and B.C.
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