Poop Patrol

We started out with just one dog. Ruby. She was great, and rarely, if ever, left our yard. She usually did  her business in one of two specific areas in the yard. Then came her son Dudley who also stayed in the yard, but just might go out in the street to greet someone walking by. He was slightly less discriminate about keeping the yard clean.

Then along came Zurri who was too into chasing rabbits to care about stupid boundaries. We put in an invisible fence which worked great for all the dogs but her. She was quick to decide the possibility of catching one of those frolicking rabbits was totally worth the zap she'd get as she bolted through the invisible line. She also could care less where she deposited her daily duty.

It got to the point where one area of our yard, on the boulevard right in front of our neighbor's front window, became the favorite place for all the dogs. Spring time clean up was often done earlier than usual because, as the snow melted, I felt horrible there was pile after pile being exposed for the neighbor's viewing pleasure. We put in a solid fence to not only contain the dogs, but to contain their deposits in one area of the yard.

Roman was the last to join us. He manages to dig his way out fall out of the yard a couple times per week but other than that isn't much of a problem. His deposits are tootsie roll sized so not a big deal, and if he does deposit anything outside of the fenced area, he usually does so in the woods while hunting for rabbits.

Imagine my surprise when, a couple years ago, I started finding dog poop in an area where our dogs have no access. It started happening on a regular basis so I started paying attention. Twice have caught the same neighbor walking her dogs straight to that section of our property and letting them poop there. Really????? Really!!

Now, I know who the pooping culprit is in my neighborhood, but imagine owning an apartment or townhouse complex with multiple dogs. Imagine some of those tenants not being very responsible with their dog poop. I think it's very important to remember that you should not be annoyed with the dogs who are only doing their business where their owners tell them. After all, they're dogs. But you have every right be be very annoyed with the tenant who is a human being and supposedly capable of following rules!

Enter PooPrints Dog DNA services. When a tenant moves in with a dog, just collect a cheek swab from the dog and submit to PooPrints to enter on their DNA registry. (at a cost of $30, billed to the tenant, of course.) Then later, when a stray pile is found on the grounds, a sample can be collected and submitted to PooPrints for identification, telling you which tenant is the culprit. ($50 again, billed to the tenant)

When Minnesota's Roseville Estates decided to implement the program, they noticed an immediate change in the cleanliness of their property.

Property owners and managers who use the PooPrints services are noticing a reduction in offenses anywhere from 75-100%. Somehow that whole threat of being found out is enough to cause a tenant to not only carry a bag with them, but to put it to use when the time comes!