Who Pooped? Inquiring minds want to know! I write quite a bit about personalized medicine so it’s time for a break in discussion and talk about something much more important – personalized poop. Yes, DNA has gone to the dogs! PooPrints will get the job done.
If you are part of a home owner’s group, now you have an answer, but everyone needs to participate in operation DNA Poop. We all know by now how valuable DNA is, but now we really know. Who pooped? Once everyone is registered and the DNA is set up on all the dogs, all you need to do is pick up the sample and send it in. For under 100 dogs, the charge is $100.00 per dog, cheaper than having our DNA sequencing done, although this appears to be very specific sequencing.
“The association purchases DNA Pet ID kits from BioPet for each dog to be registered. Kit cost is $29.95 each. The registration cost from step 2 will be deducted from this total.”
“Send in the poo sample with the $49.95 processing fee. Associations may elect to fine the dog owner to recoup this cost.”
The home owners association gets the dog’s ID back and can then look up the owner, but in case of no match, let’s say a stray dog made a deposit, the $49.95 charge still has to be paid for the processing, so if you have a lot of stray dogs pooping around the neighborhood, this could run into a few dollars.
The company also has other services for veterinarians and DNA testing for IDs as well. But if you want to know “who pooped” and want the positive ID and live within a homeowners group, well, this could be the answer, either that or just pick up the poop. BD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 24, 2008 – KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — BioPet Vet Lab, a Knoxville, Tenn., DNA laboratory, announced today the introduction of PooPrints™, a program designed to encourage dog owners to pick up their dog’s “droppings." The program is targeted initially to neighborhoods, but could be applied to any municipality that wants to clean up its public areas. The PooPrints™ program recommends that a home owner association (HOA) pass an amendment to its existing covenant that requires all dog owners in the community to have their dogs’ DNA analyzed and filed with Bio-Pet’s "DNA World Pet Registry."
Once the DNA is on file, any dropping found in the public areas of the neighborhood can be sent to BioPet to be analyzed and matched up with the DNA already on file. Once the dog is identified, an email report is sent to the HOA, which then can identify the offending owner. The matching process takes three to four days after receipt to process. With positive proof through the DNA matchup, the association may elect to impose fines on the offenders, which will defray the cost of the program to the HOA.
A Program with Benefits 
Participating dog owners gain several benefits in addition to the cleaner neighborhood they will have with the PooPrints™ program - their dog's DNA is on permanent file, providing positive "proof of ownership"; they receive a lifetime membership in the "DNA World Pet Registry,” which allows them a place to store and manage their dog’s health and care records; they receive an ID Tag printed with “DNA Pet ID” and a toll free number that will help to reunite a lost dog with its owner.
The Poop Problem is Piling Up
There are 75 million dogs in the US and it is estimated that they produce 3.6 billion pounds of dog waste per year. That is equivalent to filling 800 football fields one foot high. What many do not realize is the health hazard dog waste presents. Campylobacter, salmonella, toxocaria, and other harmful microbes can all be found in dog waste. These germs can be picked up by children and adults causing diarrhea, fever, muscle aches, headache, vomiting, rash, cough, and even vision loss. Moreover, these germs make their way into the water supply, endangering natural fisheries and waterways, and providing a secondary exposure of humans to these health dangers.
The PooPrints™ program designed to do away with poop litter is not limited to home owners associations, but could be adopted by condominiums, apartments, cities, counties and states. The PooPrints™ program is low cost: to register each dog with its DNA on file is $29.95. Follow-on processing of waste samples is also just $49.95 per sample. BioPet provides complete program kits to the HOA which include waste sampling devices and containers for shipment.
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About BioPet Vet Lab
BioPet Vet Lab is a genetic testing and veterinary reference laboratory based in Knoxville, Tenn. It is a division of EDP Biotech Corporation, a company with 30 years of research and development experience in immunodiagnostics. BioPet Vet Lab offers a variety of DNA services including the DNA Breed ID test for the analysis of dog breed ancestry.
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