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Columbus apartments implement DNA testing program for dog poo

Columbus apartments implement DNA testing program for dog poo

Jack McLaughlin

A Columbus property management company is combating an age-old problem with a high-tech solution.

They’re testing the DNA of dog waste.

According to Elle Lamb, a social media marketing specialist at Oakwood Management, Company, 12 of the group’s 50-plus properties participate in a program known as PooPrints, which tests the DNA of leftover dog waste and fines the animal’s owner.

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“Whenever a resident moves in and they have a dog, or they get a dog, we bring the pup into our office and swab their mouth for DNA,” Lamb said. “If we find waste on the property, we send it off to a lab for DNA testing, and if there’s a match, the dog’s owner gets a fine.”

Lamb said pet owners receive a $300 fine for each instance.

The program first started at the Albany Glen apartments in 2015, and is now a fixture in a dozen of Oakwood’s properties, including, 

  • The City
  • The Fenimore
  • Landmark Lofts
  • The Kensington at Riggins Run
  • Pointe at Polaris
  • River & Rich
  • Polaris Place
  • Marysville Flats
  • Ravines at Westar
  • The Edge at Polaris
  • The View at Polaris
  • Albany Glen

“The idea behind the program is that we want our communities to be peaceful, and we want our residents to be able to enjoy them,” Lamb said.

And since PooPrints has taken over at many Oakwood communities, it’s been a success, Lamb noted. While the group doesn’t have exact figures, she said most participating communities averaged only several pet waste incidents a year.

Want to read more? Check out our print publication, (614) Magazine. Learn where you can find a free copy of our new September issue here!

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