There was such a good response to my article of Feb. 24 on toxic poop, I decided to explore what cities and towns worldwide do to control pet waste.

The cost. Some cities have invested as much as $10,000 in Pooper Scooper campaigns, or even levied fines which actually brought in $29,000 in revenue. Some housing complexes increased maintenance fees 50 percent in order to handle the poop. Fines in the U.S. range from $40 in some condominium complexes to $300 or more in larger cities. One European city proposed dog taxes to cover clean-up costs. But the bottom line is the cost to the environment.

This is from a story a few years back in USA Today: “In the mid-1990s, scientists perfected methods for tracking the origin of nasty bacteria in streams and seawater. From Clearwater, Fla., to Arlington, Va., to Boise the trail has led straight to the hunched-up dog — and to owners who don’t pick up after their pets. At some beaches, dogs help raise bacteria levels so high that visitors must stay out of the water. Goaded by such studies, some cities have directed as much as $10,000 in the last few years to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets. A few municipalities have started issuing citations to those who ignore pet clean-up ordinances.

“A survey by the Center for Watershed Protection in 1999 found that of the 41 percent of respondents who rarely or never clean up after their dogs, 44 percent would refuse to do so in the face of fines and neighbors’ complaints. Reasons included, ‘because it eventually goes away,’ ‘small dog, small waste,’ and ‘just because.’ Out of desperation some cities have tried all kinds of methods of persuasion besides just fines, such as have events like ‘Pooper-Scooper week’ to raise awareness, zero tolerance campaigns and establishing dog parks.”

NYC, scoop your poop or pay a fine

In New York City, 15 agents in the Sanitation Department’s Canine Task Force fan out across the five boroughs each day to enforce the city’s “pooper scooper” law, which went into effect in 1978 and became the model for other large cities. The city’s 311 complaint line received about 3,000 complaints about dog waste in 2008, up from 2,100 in 2004. A bill increasing the fine from $100 to $250 has been signed by Gov. David A. Paterson. The parks department, which issues the tickets in city parks, has discretion to fine $50 to $1,000. In 2008, fines collected totaled $29,000.

Montana: Boise police tried to crack down on dog owners who flout the city’s dog leash and poop pickup laws Four citations were issued in the first two hours of the focused patrol, The eight neighborhood officers who targeted parks were in plain clothes to avoid tipping off the scofflaws. The fine for each violation in city parks is $25 plus court costs, bringing the total to $66.50.”

The Gulf News: Pristine areas spoilt by dog poop. “Pleasant notices and threats of fines are of little use. I call on the developers to use the 50 percent increase in maintenance fees this year and consider fencing off some canine-only areas as dog toilets!”

Englewood, Colorado wants to require pet owners to scoop all poop in their yard at least every 72 hours. That means either owners have to do it themselves, or hire a company. People who scoop poop for a living say the law is not needed. The town, though, is dead serious. Owners who don’t clean up their dog’s waste could face big fines.

DNA doo-doo

An Israeli city is going to reward or punish pet owners by using DNA analysis. These DNA analysis of droppings will point to the correct sniffer who decided to have an “accident” on the street. Under a six-month trial program launched recently, the city of Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, is asking dog owners to take their animal to a municipal veterinarian, who then swabs its mouth and collects DNA. This DNA database will be used to match feces to a registered dog and identify its owner. Apparently, owners will be eligible for rewards such as pet food coupons and dog toys if they look after their dogs and place their droppings in specifically marked bins. However, if the owner of a registered pet forgets to pick up the doggie droppings and authorities find a match through the city’s database, then the owner could receive a municipal fine.

Austria: Vienna’s sidewalks are littered by dog droppings, and campaigns trying to persuade owners to pick up after their pets have made little difference. One proposal would collect dog taxes amounting to euro 0.12 (US $.15) a day. But removing just a single dog heap costs the city euro 3 (US $3.80) to euro 5 (US $6.30).and owners not complying would have to pay for the costs of the DNA analysis in addition to fines of up to euro 225 (US $284). German Cities also have DNA tracking proposals.

A U.S. company also has introduced DNA analysis with results within three to four days. BioPet Vet Lab, a Knoxville, Tenn., DNA laboratory, offers that “PooPrints” program. It recommends that a home owner association 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.”

So what are some solutions for dog owners who find it inconvenient or distasteful to pick up after their pets? There are a number of commercial products on the market including flushabe plastic bags. I found a dozen or more brands on the market.

And then there’s “Doodie Pack” — a waste management system where the dog carries the waste on the walk. Pockets on one side hold empty bags and pockets on the other holds the waste until you get home. www.doodiepack.com.

Dr. Joanne Stolen recently retired from Rutgers University where she taught microbiology. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution. She is now full-time resident of Breckenridge and enjoys skiing, playing tennis and rowing on Dillon Reservoir