Article Courtesy of The Orlando
Sentinel
By Mary Shanklin
Published
January 14, 2013
A
downtown condo tower has a mess on its hands: Some residents are not
cleaning up after their pooches. So it's turning to doggie DNA testing to
root out the culprits and hand hefty fines to their owners.
The
Vue plans to launch the testing next month to determine who is leaving
behind their dogs' droppings on the seventh-floor pet park.
"There
are always pet owners in the high-rises that do not clean
up after their pets," said Cristian Michaels, who
oversees sales and marketing for the Vue. "The only
way to handle this is usually to do DNA testing and then
fining owners $100 per offense. Renters with multiple
violations can be evicted by the association after
multiple offenses."
The
Vue is one of the first properties in Central Florida to
employ scientific investigations to resolve what has been
a long-standing issue for apartment renters, condominium
owners and others. The Vue, Park North at Cheney Place and
several other complexes in the Orlando area have
contracted with PooPrints, a division of BioPet Vet Lab,
Knoxville, Tenn.
The
testing has been in place for several |
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Ian
Jones nuzzels his dog Mia on the 7th floor dog walking area. The Vue
condominiums has started requiring DNA testing of residents' pets so
they can identify which dogs' owners are not picking up after them.
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months
at about a half-dozen Miami-area condo and apartment complexes and has put
an end to some unseemly situations, such as dog excrement left in elevators,
said Pauline Gordon, Florida distributor for PooPrints.
"It
was so disgusting," Gordon said. "As soon as we began with the
program, the problems disappeared. Everybody started picking up. They knew
they would have to pay the fines and the lab-test fees."
Since
PooPrints launched in 2010, about 300 apartments, condominiums and homeowner
associations in 33 states have contracted for the service. And now some
cities and dog parks have begun inquiring about the program, said Eric
Mayer, director of business development for the company that is based in
Knoxville, Tenn.
Here
is how it works: Someone swabs the interior of dogs' mouths, and the saliva
samples are sent to a laboratory. The properties of the DNA samples are
recorded and can be tested against fecal samples collected when residents
fail to pick up.
The
concept originated with research scientists at the University of Tennessee
veterinary school.
"They
were walking around their apartment and found waste on the ground,"
Mayer said. "They said, 'There's got to be a way to solve this
problem.' And we now have a way to manage pet waste."
When
it was first introduced, people were concerned about the intrusiveness of
the system, but now they are more concerned about being first in their area
to try it and about the cost. The initial cost of registering a pet is $30
to $50, depending on the location.
Vue
resident Brandy Etheridge, who owns a puggle named Brodie, said she is in
favor of the testing.
"I
know some people have had an issue," Etheridge, 29, said last week as
she walked Brodie on a leash with a built-in stash of plastic bags. "I
don't think it's a bad idea."
The
building's seventh-floor, open-air "amenity deck" originally
included a natural-grass surface, but that was replaced three years ago with
synthetic turf designed specifically for pet parks. The turf has a raised
surface so that liquids seep through it. Solids, however, do not.
Lisa
Mason, executive director of the Vue's property-owner association, said the
DNA idea surfaced during residents meetings aimed at addressing abandoned
feces and other pet-related issues. About half of the residents in the
375-unit tower have at least one pet.
"There
were disease concerns, and it wasn't an aesthetically pleasing thing,
either," Mason said. "You don't want to be barbecuing on the deck
and have the odor of feces up there."
Complaints
mounted and cameras were installed. Expenses grew as crews had to clean the
site twice daily. The DNA tests, Mason said, provide a friendlier and more
affordable way to address the situation.
Property
managers for the Vue expect to launch the new program in mid-February during
the debut of the condo tower's new, expanded pet park. The event will
feature a "house-call" vet; contacts for dog-walking services and
a dog-food-delivery service; and, possibly, a pet-obstacle course. Pet
owners will be able to have their dogs swabbed for their DNA then and there.
And
for dog owners who don't attend the event, the Vue's concierge can provide
the service.
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