The northern Italian province of Bolzano has ordered a DNA test for all dogs in a bid to find their owners and impose a fine on them if they fail to clean up their pet’s poop amid a crackdown on the scourge of dog litter in the streets.
DNA test for dogs
Once the DNA of the dog is collected, the test results will be inserted into a database, which can be used to search for the culprits and their owners.
The database, which is yet to be created, will be accessed by street cleaners and health officials in Bolzano to check whose abandoned poop is littering the streets of the Italian province after genetically testing it. Subsequently, the owners will be traced and face fines of 50 to 500 euros ($54 to $540).
An estimated 40,000 dogs in the province were required to undergo a DNA test at a veterinary clinic by the end of December 2023 before the initiative was introduced in January.
Any owner who refuses the DNA profiling for their dog, which will be made compulsory by the end of March will be fined between 292 to 1,048 euros ($318 to $1179).
The provincial government covering Bolzano city and surrounding towns is creating the database, said veterinary department director Paolo Zambotto.
Around 10,000 have already been registered. “Bolzano receives a few hundred complaints a year from citizens about improper management of public land. More than half are for dogs,” Zambotto told Reuters.
He added, “Law enforcement could only catch three or four of them because they have to go there and set up some kind of stakeout.”
Not just poop
Arnold Schuler, a provincial councillor told Rai news that the database made using the DNA tests will also be used to identify dogs killed in road accidents or that attacked other animals or people. “In this way, we are making it easier for everyone to have their pet registered.”
Dog owners will be expected to have blood tests for their dogs, at municipal dog shelters or vet clinics which cost around 60 to over 100 euros ($71 and $109).
The measure has also received some criticism and has mostly been questioned over how this complex and costly initiative will be implemented and managed. Many have questioned what will happen if the culprits are strays or are owned by tourists.
While others said it was an additional expense for the municipality and the police, who could be using these resources elsewhere.
(With inputs from agencies)
