Dog-poop DNA scheme launched in Spain to catch scoop-shy owners

Some parts of Spain do indeed have a doogy doo-doo problem, which is why government is taking action.

At the risk of straying into the land of stereotype, Spaniards are not always the most pliable people when it comes to responding to government-led initiatives designed to slightly tweak societal behaviour…

The smoking ban is a relatively recent case in point: in the UK the introduction of the ban in 2007 was met with a little bit of initial resistance, but overall the country quickly fell in line, meaning one can enjoy a quick post-work pint without walking out of the nearest pub stinking like an ashtray.

In Spain, however, the matter is a little foggier (or should we say smokier), with certain arcane rules still in place that dictate what constitutes a place of work. Thus, widespread adoption of the smoking ban is yet to materialise.

The same is kind of true of dog mess. In the UK, the culture has now changed to such an extent that to be seen to be leaving behind your dog’s droppings is such a taboo that the issue is pretty much self-policing these days. Sure, there are fines and warnings, but it’s the stigma, the loud tut-tutting that will follow dog owners around if they neglect their duties, that keeps the matter in check and pavements clean.

Not picking up after your dog is an offence in Spain, but it seems that the self-policing culture has not yet taken hold – prompting one authority in the east of the country to begin taking DNA samples of errant excrement in the hope of nabbing the owners responsible and issuing a fine.

Officials in Mislata, which is near Valencia, have confirmed to the BBC that street cleaners are being instructed to collect samples of canine pavement parcels to be sent to local laboratories for analysis.

Between now and December 31, dog owners in the town can take their dogs to a vet so that a blood sample can be taken free of charge. Any owner who fails to register their mutt’s DNA will face a €300 fine.

Once registered, if any dog mess found on the streets matches a sample on the municipality’s doggy DNA database, owners can expect to be fined €200 for every violation of the law.

This may seem extreme, but anybody who has ever found themselves marvelling at Spain’s stunning architecture only to then feel a slippy squelch underfoot knows only too well how off-putting dog doo-doo can be.