One in every 11 Tel Aviv residents is a dog owner. While the majority clean dog waste like good citizens, a minority leave their pets’ feces on the street, creating a smelly public nuisance.
The Tel Aviv municipality has had it.
A recent campaign tried calling out the 2 percent of dog owners who are, in city hall’s words: “Taking a s**t on the city.” Now, the battle has now been taken to the next level: taking samples of uncollected dog waste and matching it to a municipal dog DNA database.
The Tel Aviv-Yafo City Council has approved an amendment to a municipal bylaw, which requires dog owners to provide a DNA sample from their pet when renewing their dog license. This way, inspectors will be able to identify offenders, send them a fine in the mail and even make them liable for the sampling and test costs.
“Maintaining cleanliness in public spaces is an integral part of the appearance of the city, and the municipality hopes that its latest decision will persuade all owners to collect dog waste,” the council stated.
“The municipality believes a combination of information campaigns, enforcement and public cooperation is key to improving quality of life in urban areas.”
But before you celebrate by walking the city’s streets barefoot, the Israeli Interior Ministry will have to assess the amendment to the bylaw for this rule to go into effect.
Despite this turn of events, Tel Aviv still prides itself on being the most dog-friendly city in the world. It boasts a municipality-issued “DigiDog” smart card that reminds owners of upcoming vaccinations, lets them know about new dog parks in their area and updates on upcoming dog events.
One such event is Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, in which dog owners looking for love are invited to a beach-side celebration with their pets.
(Edited by Fern Siegel and Kristen Butler)
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