Local apartment complex finds solution to messy situation

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) – People who don’t pick up after their dogs have created a problem that has plagued many rental properties across the nation, but an apartment complex in Chattanooga that allows dogs is fighting back by using DNA.

Cameron Harbor rental apartments and homes in Chattanooga is a new development that has faced the age old problem of dog waste left on the grass by tenants who don’t pick up after their pet.

"We noticed more and more pet waste on the property and complaints; people who were just unhappy with the waste around here," said Cameron Harbor Community Manager Tiffany Duggan.

Days of people not picking up after their pet is coming to an end at Cameron Harbor. The property is joining a list of more than 15,000 apartment complexes in the U.S., Canada and the UK that have turned to a Knoxville Company called Poo Prints. The company provides DNA kits to apartment complex managers. The managers use the kits to take saliva samples from dogs when the dog owner signs the lease agreement; an agreement that clearly states they can be fined for not picking up after their pet. When dog waste is found on the property, a sample of that waste is sent to Poo Prints to be analyzed.

"We extract the DNA from the fecal material; match it to the dogs in the data base and tell which dog it came from," said Poo Prints Marketing Director Ernie Jones.

Cameron Harbor is serious about keeping the property clear of pet waste so if a DNA match comes back to a pet owned by a tenant, that tenant can expect a $250 fine.

"Luckily we had our sister property test it for us and it did wonders there in Nashville so we thought we’d bring it here to Chattanooga and do it here at our property," said Regional Manager Jenn Mulholland.

No two dog shares the same DNA so the results that come back from test are 100-percent accurate.

"Once people find out there going to held accountable, they no longer deny that they’re the ones who left the mess," Jones said.

Dog waste that is not picked up can easily get tracked back into homes and apartments after its been stepped on. The waste can also create bio hazards for other animals as well as humans.

According to experts who mange rental properties, failure to pick up after pets is one of the three main complaints at apartment complexes across the country that allow dogs.