Tenant was stunned when landlord ordered DNA profiling of her dog’s poop — until the reason turned out fair

Maddie discovered that PooPrints is a service that swabs the inside of a dog’s mouth for DNA.

PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO

(L) A woman entering her new house with boxes. (R) A pet dog pooping. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) svetikd, (R) ThamKC)

Some apartment rules are pretty straightforward: no loud music after 10 p.m., no smoking indoors, and maybe a pet deposit if you have a furry friend. But one woman’s experience with a new lease took an unexpected and slightly bizarre turn when she learned about a rule involving something called a "PooPrints account." TikTok user Maddie, also known as @xmaddieadele, shared an unusual story in a 2023 video that quickly caught people’s attention.

An individual signing a document (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pixabay) — An individual signing a document. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pixabay)

In her clip, Maddie sits in front of the camera, speaking directly to viewers as she recalls what happened. “I just got the lease for a new apartment,” she begins, “and I was reading the part about pets, and the leasing person said that I need to bring my dog by the office whenever we move in so that she can get registered for a PooPrints account.” Confused, she admits, “Clearly I Googled that, because what is that? And you gave me no context!"

A dog owner picking up dog poop. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Liudmila Chernetska)

Without even clicking the links, Maddie discovered that PooPrints is a service that swabs the inside of a dog’s mouth for DNA. The purpose? To identify dog waste left behind in the apartment complex. “If she takes a shit and I don’t pick it up, I guess they are gonna pick it up for me and send it through the mail and then identify us,” she says in disbelief. Maddie adds, “I don’t really know what happens after that. I don’t know if they are gonna fine us, I don't know if they are gonna get a disease because they are sending dog shit through the mail.”

A woman shocked after looking at a bill. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | fizkes) — A woman shocked after looking at a fine. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | fizkes)

She continues her rant with a mix of confusion and curiosity, wondering about the process behind it all. “Whose job is this? Who’s picking it up and sending it and testing it?” she asks, clearly bewildered. While she promises to always pick up after her dog, she still wants to know what happens if someone doesn’t. “I get that not picking up your dog's shit is unsanitary, but it can't be sanitary to send it through the mail!” she says. Maddie’s video brought laughter, but also sparked a lot of comments from others who have had experience with this system. While it may sound over-the-top, DNA dog waste testing is real and growing in popularity in some apartment complexes. As Maddie sums it up best, "I kinda wanna know what’s gonna happen."

@xmaddieadele
tell me your poo print stories now 💩
♬ original sound - maddie

Maddie further asks the viewers if they have any knowledge of this new trend, "Can somebody tell me what's gonna happen?" Many internet users responded and explained. @nkorz wrote in the comment section, "My apartment does this, and they have fined someone and then didn’t allow them to renew their lease because it has happened multiple times." @brittnierenee exclaimed, "I love PooPrints. I catch a lot of my residents like this. You will get fined like $250." @marynormal92 shared, "I had an apartment that fined me almost $1000 for my dog's poops right after the snow melted in like the spring." Meanwhile, @ffawnpawn wrote, "Honestly, I wish my apartment did this because so many people don’t pick up their dog's [sic]."

For more interesting dog content, follow @xmaddieadele on TikTok.