Quote: Would-be tenants are being asked to supply a sample of DNA from their dogs, so pets which foul pathways and gardens around their apartment block can be identified. Dog mess collected by managers of the Avalon Community in Long Island is to be sent to Tennessee for testing against the building’s DNA database. Culprits’ owners may then be issued with hefty fines. One resident, who did not wish to be named, told a local newspaper: “I think it’s a little extreme”. Residents already pay a “one-time pet fee” of $650 (£403) and monthly “pet rent” of $50 (£31). More of New York’s notoriously vigilant landlords are now expected to sign up to the “Poo Prints” scheme after success was reported from identical systems in place around the US. Debbie Logan, the manager of a building in Nashua, New Hampshire, turned to DNA after an offer to pay whistle-blowing residents for shopping their neighbours failed to take off. |