A property manager in Halifax is trying something new to solve a problem at his condo building.
Leigh Nickerson is hoping to hold dog owners in his building accountable for not cleaning up after their pets. The property manager says he has tried everything he could think of to put a stop to it.
"Try to embarrass homeowners into picking up their poo, so before the annual general meeting, I got a bucket and a little scoop and I walked around the co-operation and I literally had several pounds," says Nickerson.
That's when Nickerson discovered PooPrints, a company that, once provided with a doggy DNA sample, can match the mess to the mutt.
Nickerson wants to implement a policy that would require owners to register their canine's DNA, and if their pet is deemed to be the culprit, the owner would pay a $100 fine.
"They will pick up once they know a program like this has been set in place, because they know there is accountability," says Nickerson.
The condo board has already approved PooPrints, but there is one condo owner who is opposed to the plan. That means the strategy can't be implemented until after a meeting next month where all the owners will vote on it.
Gareth Meagher plans to vote in favour of the innovative waste management program.
"It's surprising," says Meagher. "It's kind of an extreme step that we have to take."
The cost of $50 per dog to start the program will be up to the owners to cover, but resident Winnifred Fenn says it is worth it.
"So I don't have to go out at nighttime and walk into some dog poop," says Fenn. "I certainly clean up…I've always got bags in my pocket."
If the program does get approved, owners who don't clean up after their pets may land in some serious doggy doo.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
