Dr. Tika Bar-On is on a mission: to keep the streets of Petah Tikva free from dog poo.
The Petah Tikva municipality is working to pass a law that would allow inspectors to test the DNA of dog feces left in the streets and sidewalks, and send a ticket to the owner of the dog matching the DNA of the abandoned excrement.
The identification system was created by the Bactochem laboratory following a request from the Petah Tikva mayor.
For the system to work effectively, a saliva sample would have to be collected from all the dogs in the city to create a DNA database. Dr. Bar-On, who is the director of veterinarian services for the Petah Tikva municipality, says the dogs’ saliva could be collected when they are brought in for their yearly rabies shots.
"We will be the first to do it," Bar-on said enthusiastically, and said that the program should be active within 1.5 years.