Resident mocked apartment’s demand for dog poop DNA tests — until fines and horror stories made her think twice

Living in an apartment comes with its own set of challenges, but one resident's experience with a 'dog poop DNA test' has certainly sparked both laughter and concern. u/LittleWanderess took to Reddit to share a screenshot of an email from her apartment management, which introduced an unusual new policy to combat the ongoing issue of dog waste on the property. Her initial reaction was one of amusement, "Possibly the funniest idle threat I've ever heard!" she wrote in response to the notice on her Reddit post. But the initial mockery soon turned into concern as other users began sharing their personal stories of hefty fines. 

The email, addressed to all residents, outlined the management's efforts to tackle the problem of dog poop being left on the property despite the presence of pet stations and a dog park. "Good afternoon, residents. Once again, we are addressing the endless amount of dog poo being left on the property. There are pet stations throughout the community and a dog park. If your dog uses the bathroom on the property, even in the dog park, it is your responsibility to make sure it is disposed of properly," the notice shared. It then explained that the apartment complex was considering a new program that would require each pet to be registered with the front office, along with a feces sample.

“When poo is found on the property, a sample will be taken and sent off to the lab. We will be able to identify the pet from the sample," the notice stated. While the policy was introduced as a last resort, it made it clear that failing to clean up after dogs was becoming a significant issue, one that could no longer be ignored. "We did not want to take this route, but unfortunately, we need a way to keep the grounds poo free!" What followed was a serious discussion in the comment section, with many users stating that this was no idle threat. u/GamerGrrl97 wrote, "Not an idle threat actually. My apartment complex does this. Everyone who has a dog was required to bring them to the office for a DNA swab (which was free of charge)." u/kivy0102 shared, "I stayed at a place in Tennessee that did this, and their fine was $300. It made the place much nicer to walk around. They had pet stations all over the place, too, so there was no excuse not to pick it up."

u/ladymissmeggo exclaimed, "Yeah, our current apartment does this, and the fine is $250. It’s one of the reasons we chose this place, since we have zero issue picking up after our dog." u/cb393303 commented, "The last apartment I lived at started this; $500 fine and a mark. Too many marks, and you were not allowed to renew your lease and had to leave. It was awful to have dog shit on sidewalks in the Texas summer." u/PullThePadge shared, "I know someone whose complex does this. They went out of town, and the pet sitter didn’t clean up the dog shit. The owner came back home to 5 $150 dog sh*t violation fees."

Latetly, apartments are landlords across the country are ordering residents to get dog DNA poop test, also popularly known as "Poo Print', to tackle issues related to unattended dog waste, inlcuding health problems that extend to other animals and humans. Failing to do which, will result in imposition of hefty penalty as seen in the above case, or even eviction if the problem persists.