Valencia town sets up dog DNA register to crack down on owners who fail to clear up excrement
Thursday, November 3, 2016 @ 11:05 AM
A TOWN near Valencia will check DNA in dog 'deposits' not cleared up from the street to trace the owners and fine them – the latest in a series of increasingly-creative ways of combating the pet excrement problem faced in numerous municipalities.
All dog-owners in Mislata, just outside Valencia city, have until New Year's Eve to visit a vet in the town for a free-of-charge blood sample, which will be registered on the council's database.
Those who fail to do so will be fined €300.
Dogs must then wear a name tag given to them once the blood is taken.
Any excrement not cleared up will be tested by council technicians and a DNA match run on the database.
The owner's name and address will show up, and they will be sent a notice to pay a fine of €200.
With their dogs' genetic code logged on the town pet census, owners cannot hide from their responsibility to clean up after their pooches.
This scheme has been in place in other towns across the country, and works more as a deterrent – knowing they will definitely be caught and fined has caused owners to avoid shirking their duties and the amount earned in fines has not actually gone up much at all.
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