DNA tests to catch dog owners whose pets foul public pathways

Описание: (14 Dec 2017) LEAD IN:
Dogs are popular pets, but many owners fail to clear up when their canine uses the streets as a toilet.
Several Spanish towns have introduced a database of dogs' DNA so officials can identify and punish dog owners who don't pick up their pets' mess or neglect or abandon their dog.

STORY-LINE:
Dogs love parks and so do kids, for much the same reasons... the space and freedom to run and play.
But dogs have a tendency to poop where they please and not every owner conscientiously clears up the mess, leaving germ filled faeces in spaces where children roam.
Madrid resident Jose Maria Ruiz de los Paños (known by his nickname Chema) owns a Jack Russell terrier called Perry.
"As you can see, the general situation is bad. Certain pet owners leave the faeces of their dogs, taking advantage of the fact that nobody's seen them. And what happens next? Then, children come to play in the park and they find "that little gift". And what happens? Well, people generalize: dogs owners (fault), in general" explains Jose Maria Ruiz de los Paños (known by his nickname Chema).
The municipality of Malaga in southern Spain, thinks they have found a solution to this urban problem.
It is one of eighteen city halls across Spain who are working to create a database of dogs' DNA locally so officials can identify and punish the owners who don't pick up after their pets poo.
The DNA of all dogs will be kept on a council database, that can be matched to samples of abandoned dog excrement collected by street cleaners.
In Malaga, if the lab finds a match within the database, the dog's owner will face a fine of up to €217. In other towns the fine is also around 200€, plus the cost of processing the sample. There is a similar fine for not registering your animal on the scheme.
The DNA database can also help to clamp down on illegal breeding sites where dogs may be exploited and ill treated and reducing the number of abandoned dogs.
Malaga City hall says that many abusive owners or those who abandon their pets remove the obligatory microchip, as demanded by regional legislation, from their dog.
Many Malaga residents support the idea and believe it will help to keep the city clean.
But some owners believe it's just another way to levy a new tax on people.
City hall estimates that there are currently about 80,000 dogs in Malaga city.
The new DNA register costs 35 Euros per dog, a one off cost that covers the dog's lifetime.
Malaga city hall says it has set aside 200,000 euros of funding to help subsidise those who cannot afford the DNA register.
Oscar Perez, the owner of a mixed Shar Pei called Winnie, has taken his dog to the vet for to undergo the process of genetic identification.
However he doesn't think the scheme will work . "(I heard that) this (measure) is because of their (the dogs) pooping, because people do not pick them up, right ? If I'm honest, I think it's not going to work. I do not understand how they are going to do it".
"DNA extraction can be done from numerous original elements. We create a database based on blood. Afterwards, to compare this database with other biological samples, we can use blood, faeces, hair or mouth isotopes", explains Manuel Ruiz, who works for ADN Perros the lab that processes the genetic material.
Ruiz says it is in canine's best interests.
At the moment, Malaga is the first big city in Spain that has approved this measure, it is one of a total of 18 municipalities across the country that has implemented DNA dog registration.
DNA registration will be a legal requirement in in Malaga from January 1st 2018.

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