DNA testing is taking off in Seattle to find who is not scooping dog poop

Apartments in Seattle are increasingly testing dog poop to find offenders

(Getty Images)

Dog poop has become such a problem in Seattle that some apartment complexes have started using DNA test kits to catch the culprits who are not picking up after their pets, the Seattle Times reported.

At least 26 apartment complexes and homeowners associations in the Seattle area have received the PooPrints DNA kits from a Tennessee company called BioPet Vet Lab, the report says.

Erin Atkinson, a property manager at Potala Village Apartments in the area, said the problem has become so bad that dog poop has been found in the elevator, in carpeted halls and on the roof. Tenants at that property are required to pay a one-time fee of $29.95 for DNA testing.

If an anonymous poop is found by the complex, it is tested and the responsible tenant is fined $59.95 for the test and $50 for the complex having to pick up the sample. One tenant was charged five times in one week, Ms Atkinson said.

“That’s over $500,” she told the Times. “Now people clean up after their dogs.”

Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.