DOG DNA Database?

A DOG DNA database could be used to catch irresponsible owners who fail to clear up after their pets, the leader of the Isle of Wight Council has suggested. Cllr David Pugh said tackling dog fouling and prosecuting irresponsible owners was notoriously difficult but a DNA database, which held details of all dogs kept on the Island, could be the solution. “We could test samples against the database and trace it to the dog’s owner. I imagine we would see an immediate cessation to the problem,” he told last night’s full council meeting, in response to a question about the number of successful prosecutions. However, such a database is unlikely to become a reality in the near future, he said. “It’s something we would have to pilot, and I’m not wishing to make policy on the hoof,” said Cllr Pugh. A local report said “it would make more sense for the council to spend money on clearing the mess up instead of trying to catch the culprits. This would give someone a much needed job.” A spokesperson for AlphaBiolabs said today “This measure would be unworkable considering there are approximately 10.5  million owned dogs in the UK and all would have to be tested and the DNA database maintained on a regular basis. We would suggest that for the amount of effort and cost involved in tracking people who do not clean up after their dogs it would be inefficient and in these uncertain economic days there is a better use for public of funds.”