Tel Aviv dog owners must now register their dog’s DNA with municipality

Officials calculate that 500kg of dog poo is not picked up from the street every month

DOG OWNERS IN Tel Aviv will now have to provide DNA samples for their dogs upon receiving or renewing their dog ownership licenses, in an effort to fight against the issue of dog faeces not being picked up by owners in the street.

On Monday night, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa city council approved an amendment to the Municipal bylaw, making it compulsory for dog owners to register their pets to a DNA database.

This will then allow municipal inspectors to collect samples from dog faeces left uncollected in the streets, and a fine will be sent by mail to the owner who did not clean up. According to the bylaw, they will also be charged for the sampling and testing expenses.

The law has been submitted to the Ministry of Interior for examination, and is awaiting approval.

The municipality calculated that an estimated 500 kilos of dog faeces are not picked up from the street every month, and hope that this new law will work to decrease the amount.

FULL STORY Tel Aviv dog owners must now register their dog's DNA with municipality (Jerusalem Post)

Cartoon: Amos Biderman