Long Island apartment complex institutes dog DNA program to cut down on pet waste
YAPHANK, Long Island (WABC) -- An apartment complex on Long Island is instituting a dog DNA program to try to cut down on people leaving dog waste on the property.
In an email to residents, the community manager of the Reserve at the Boulevard in Yaphank said any resident who owns a dog will be required to have the dog's DNA tested and added to a registry.
Existing tenants will not be charged a fee for the test. When feces is found on the property, the DNA will be tested, matched with the animal and the owner will be fined $200.
"I actually think it's a good idea," said resident Shari Franco. "I have three kids that like to go out and play, they play a lot of sports. I have a dog and I don't like to step in dog poop. And my kids don't like to fall on it."
The email to residents stated: "Unscooped dog waste has become a concern for our community. It is unsightly and can be dangerous to children, other pets and the environment. It is our goal to keep our community in pristine shape and as pet friendly as possible."
Any resident who fails to register his or her dog in the program will be fined $150 and faces possible termination of his or her rental agreement.
Resident Faith Marone said she has no problem registering her dog, Ava, in the program, but wondered if there is a better solution.
"Yeah I mean the easier way, I guess, would just be putting up a camera and watching who doesn't pick up their poop," she told Eyewitness News reporter Kristin Thorne.
Community manager, Khalifa Williams, declined to issue an official statement to Eyewitness News.
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