As spring approaches we anticipate receiving ongoing complaints of dog owners not picking up their dog's waste. We wrestle with this problem every year for communities which allow dogs. Aside from being unsightly, pet waste left in common areas can also create health and safety issues, including contributing to water pollution and spreading parasites and bacteria. Usually, unless someone witnessed an owner failing to pick up the waste after the dog, the violation cannot be punished. In answer to this problem, there are now companies, such as PooPrints (www.pooprints.com), that provide DNA dog poop matching services to assist property management companies and association boards with addressing their pet waste issues. According to PooPrint's promotional materials, "Every pile of unscooped dog waste has a unique DNA 'pooprint' that can be used to identify the specific pet." Simply put, the pet owner swabs the inside of the dog's DNA-rich cheek to obtain a sample, and then the swab is mailed to the lab for analysis and registration. PooPrints' website cites property manager testimonials that claim their community experienced "an almost immediate reduction in pet waste between 75 to 100%" after implementing the DNA registration program. There is a registration fee, a waste analysis fee, and a collection kit, all for under $100.00. Once completed, the manager or board member can log on to the website to match the sample with the registered dog and take appropriate enforcement action. There are practical problems of participation, and inevitably some owners will view the registration program as an invasion of their privacy and refuse to participate in the program. If voluntary compliance with the Association's DNA program is not effective, the association may need to consider amending its use restrictions and pet policies to give the association more authority to compel participation in the DNA registration program, or the program will be of little use. Consult with us to discuss what options your association may have to implement an effective DNA pet program in your community.