This is the kind of idea that would make New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg sit up in bed in the middle of the night and cry, “Aha! Why didn’t I think of this before?” But someone else has already beaten him to it.
A condo “community” in York County, Pennsylvania, has decided to set up a DNA data base for dogs so that any out-of-place doggie droppings can be traced to the actual canine perpetrators, and their owners fined. ( http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Condo-DNA-Tests-Dog.html ) It seems a lot of people aren’t picking up after their pets; and I guess the old folklore tradition of “You really stepped in it!” has lost a lot of its appeal.
Never mind just passing an ordinance to make failure to pick up the poo a misdemeanor, having the police keep an extra-sharp lookout until they catch someone in the act, and then making an example of him. Oh, no–this DNA data base for dogs is real high-tech!
DNA testing is extremely expensive, and the “community” will have to make dog licenses extremely expensive to cover the costs. That might not be enough: they might have to levy new condo fees on everyone, even those who don’t own dogs.
Somehow we always seem to have money to spend on this sort of thing, even with our economy collapsing. That, and the president’s vacations.
Again, I suggest that the people running the show in America have all gone quite loopy and need to be replaced by sane people. If we can find any.
Good post Lee. We have that kind of foolishness in this area too. I live twenty miles from Boise, and I’m happy for that. They have a green-belt hiking path in the foothills over there. Animal control has an officer on foot and bicycle patrol up there. All that he does is count the dog-doo. How would you like to have a job counting dog-doo?
“HEY MR. ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER, WATCHA DOIN ?”
” JUST COUNTING THE DOG-DOO SONNY.”
How much does he get paid for counting ca-ca?
Same wages as their local police.
Utter foolishness.