Poop police now have DNA test to find dog owners

About half of the residents at the complex own dogs. About half of the residents at the complex own dogs. Photo: Billy Smith II, Chronicle Photo: Billy Smith II, Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Poop police now have DNA test to find dog owners 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Dogs may be man's best friend, but their poop can be a pedestrian's worst enemy.

That's why The Fairmont Museum District apartment complex in Houston is taking an innovative step to confront a centuries-old problem.

The 236-unit residence at 4310 Dunlavy St. has contracted with PooPrints, a Tennessee company that offers canine DNA testing as a way to track down the person whose dog left a tell-tale turd.

"I think it's a great idea," said Fairmont leasing manager Molly Kalish. "The main reason we decided to try this new program was because we had a specific issue on one of our floors with accidents."

The building has a large number of dog owners, partly because of its pet-friendly policy and its location adjacent to a city dog park, Kalish said.

So far, Fairmont management has brought up DNA registration with only a small number of dog owners who live on the floor where the accidents occurred. Others will be asked to sign up as part of the building's pet policy when they renew their leases, Kalish said.

To register a participating tenant's dog, apartment staffers use a kit provided by PooPrints to collect DNA through a cheek swab.

The pet's DNA sample is then sent to PooPrints' laboratory in Tennessee, known as BioPet Vet Lab, said PooPrints spokesman Eric Mayer.

When someone's dog leaves an offending sample of waste on an apartment property, it will be tested for a potential match among the apartment's registered dogs.

In the event of a match, the owner will be given a warning on the first offense but will be fined $500 for a second offense at The Fairmont.

As part of the new pet policy, each dog owner will be assessed a "small fee" to pay for the cost of the DNA registration, Kalish said.

Tenants who have been asked to register have expressed surprisingly little resistance, Kalish said.

"In more cases than not, they were more than willing to provide a DNA sample because they want to make sure the property stays clean," she said.

Although DNA testing did not identify any tenant's dog as the recent accident-prone culprit, Kalish said the problem had stopped, suggesting that a visitor might have been responsible.

Taylor Comstock, who on Thursday was with her Yorkshire terrier at Ervan Chew Park's "dog zone" next to The Fairmont, said the apartment management hadn't asked her yet to sign up.

As a college student, Comstock said she would have no problem with the fee as long as it was small.

"Overall, if it helps to keep it clean, I'm fine with it, versus them saying, 'Dogs aren't allowed there any more,'" she said.

In the Houston area, PooPrints clients include two other apartment complexes and a small property management company, said PooPrints Gulf Coast owner Bano Benavides, who has owned the local franchise since June.

A Dallas dog owner who lives at another apartment complex that contracts with a different PooPrints franchise said he thought it was unfair to change his lease now to pay for the DNA testing.

"Everybody wants to live in a clean community," Brian Barcus said. "I can see the intent behind the new rule, but I don't understand how they can force it upon us in the middle of our lease."