Dog Dirt War

The Valencia region town of Mislata has declared war on dog dirt, with the council giving residents until the end of this year to take their canine friends to the vet to collect a blood sample, as part of DNA mapping to find out who is not clearing up after their pooches poop in public.

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The mandatory blood samples – which will be conducted free of charge until December 31st – will be added to a registry that they can check against DNA analysis tests they conduct on abandoned faeces. The idea is to identify and charge repeat offenders, with a fine of 200 euro being applied to owners who fail to pick up after their pets.

Locally, Elche and Crevillente councils have both said that they were going to introduce DNA mapping for dogs two years ago, but nothing has come to pass.