An HOA is now taking DNA samples from dogs to enforce their pooper scooper rules. Yes, it’s in Florida.
Acosta said it costs $35 to register pets and $50 to analyze the waste samples. Hollywood Station doesn’t charge residents to register their pets — it’s part of their nonrefundable $350 pet deposit — but subsequent fines are subtracted from their security deposit, Acosta said. They’ve upped their violation fee from $100 to $150 to compensate for the testing costs.
Whenever someone doesn’t scoop their dog’s waste, Hollywood Station employees head out to the scene, put on gloves and with a spatula collect a small portion — “the crust” — of the poop, Acosta said. The employee drops the sample into a solution-filled bottle, about four inches tall, seals it, shakes it and labels it with the time and place of the evidence. Some employees are thrilled to get a match.
My father sent this over yesterday. A few reactions:
- These folks are blessed, such that there is no better way to spend their time than send dog poop to Tennessee.
- Notably, they’ve decided that it’s better to go through enormous pains to create normative behavior, rather than, say, paying some dude to clean it up.
- In fact, they’re already paying someone to clean it up, since someone is collecting the samples.
In software, we call this bike shedding: spending a ton of time on the details, process, and fines while completely ignoring the larger issue.
[via sun-sentinel.]
