[News] Austrian Lawmaker Wants to DNA Dog Poop Not Picked Up
 

A local Vienna politician wants to use DNA technology to chase down owners of dogs that leave their droppings on streets and sidewalks.

Manfred Juraczka, a councilor in a Vienna district, said Monday he wants the city to register all dogs' DNA so that droppings left where people walk can be tested and the owner of the guilty dog punished.

"This method offers a multitude of unbeatable advantages," Juraczka said in a statement, adding that all who fail to pick up after their dogs "must count on being caught."

Vienna's sidewalks are littered by dog droppings, and campaigns trying to persuade owners to pick up after their pets have made little difference. The city is home to almost 50,000 registered dogs, but the true number is believed to be much higher as many owners ignore the registration requirement.

Dog owners already can be fined if their dogs soil sidewalks or other pedestrian areas, but tickets are rarely issued because the pet has to be caught in the act.

Under Juraczka's program, owners of dogs found to have left droppings in the wrong places would have to pay for the costs of the DNA analysis in addition to fines of up to euro225 (US$284).

Dog owners in Vienna must pay dog taxes amounting to euro0.12 (US$0.15) a day. But removing just a single dog heap costs the city euro3 (US$3.80) to euro5 (US$6.30), Juraczka said, adding that amounted an "intolerable situation."

Juraczka represents the People's Party, which is in opposition in Vienna. The party ruling the capital, the Social Democrats, dismissed the proposal in a statement, saying it would in effect create a "police state."

A local politician in the German city of Dresden in March presented a similar proposal for that city. City officials there have not yet decided whether to implement the proposal.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050523/ap/d8a8sqs80.html

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just hire someone to clean it up? Damn government waste.

That is exactly what I was thinking. Is this the worst issue they have?
How much would it cost to get all the DNA collected and saved and then to run the tests.....crazy!

Do they already have DNA on the dogs there? I wouldn't think so but it seems pretty silly to check the poo and not have anything to match it too. Hmmmm. Do you think the person who thought this up probably has no dogs?

haha...I agree :p

So, yeah, currently they are cleaning it up and taking the cost. But DNA testing? Then you have all these 'poo patrols' scooping up the mess and taking them to the 'poo' lab techs or 'techie-poos'. Seems like that would cost alot but it also seems like these dog owners are too lazy to scoop it up behind them.

Sounds like a huge waste of money :thumbdown