BUSTED! Jerusalem will now check DNA of dog droppings left on street and fine owners

Woof! Jerusalemite canines will now have to remind their owners to put their extra plastic bags to use or risk being fined based on a unique scientific system.

By SHULY WASSERSTROM
Dog is walked on leash (photo credit: REUTERS)
Dog is walked on leash
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Jerusalem Municipality announced on Tuesday that it is launching a pilot program to check the DNA of dog droppings left on the street and fine dog owners accordingly.
The project is intended to manage the phenomenon of feces left on the street by dog owners who fail to pick it up. Droppings in the street, the city explained, can endanger public health and the health of other animals by transferring diseases among them.
The initiative is part of a push to clean up the streets, parks and public places of Jerusalem.
It is currently against the law and a ticketable offense not to pick up your dog's waste, but this has not completely taken care of the problem.
In order to create a database, beginning in April 2014, the city of Jerusalem will run a pilot program intended to find the right company to manage the new project. The chosen company will then begin collecting DNA samples from various Jerusalemite canines and create a database for authorities to refer to when giving tickets.
The Director of Veterinary Services at the Jerusalem Municipality, Dr. Zohar Dworkin, says that by utilizing  scientific ability to locate dogs' DNA according to the unique sequence of molecules, it will be possible to eradicate the phenomenon of droppings left in the street.
"Our goal is not to increase the fines for dog owners, but to reduce, as much as possible, the local dog droppings hazard," he said.
 
Currently, there are about eleven thousand dogs registered in Jerusalem, of which about 92% have been vaccinated. About 40% of the dogs are neutered or spayed.