An Italian province ordered DNA tests on all dogs to identify and punish people who don’t collect their feces.
At some point, we have all been affected by irresponsible owners who do not care about their dog’s needs, but this region has decided to address this with a strange measure.
The authorities of the city of Bolzano and surrounding towns have ordered that all dogs must have an official DNA registration.
In this way, it is estimated that there are about 40,000 dogs in the province that need to be recorded in a database in which more than 10,000 animals are already registered.
Governments’ goal is to genetically analyze feces to identify people who didn’t collect them on the streets. as they cause all sorts of inconveniences to other citizens.
Authorities are investigating owners who collect their pets’ feces. Photo: Freepik / Pixabay.
Heavy fines
Veterinary department director Paolo Zamboto said violators could face fines between 50 and 500 euros.
“Bozen receives hundreds of complaints from citizens every year about the inadequate management of public lands. More than half is intended for dogs. The police could only catch three or four of them because they had to go there and set up some kind of surveillance,” Zamboto said.
However, repeat offenders face penalties of between 292 and 1,048 euros.
From March, DNA registration will be mandatory for all dogs. For this reason, community animal shelters and veterinary clinics have been set up to collect and identify samples.
The costs for this examination are between 65 and 100 euros and must be borne by the animal owners.
In addition, the costs of each DNA test to analyze dog feces are financed by the sanctions imposed.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica revealed that the measure was well received and could be implemented in other cities that have already expressed their intention to adopt it to control irresponsible animal owners.
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