CSI Europe Cracking Down On Criminal Dog Poopers

CSI Europe is cracking down on criminal dogs!

It's irritating to find mysterious, well -  dog poo - showing up on your lawn. Especially when you don't have a dog! These days most everyone has a doorbell or security camera, so that helps when trying to figure out who the four-legged culprit is. 

Europe is going full "CSI" on the situation. Several cities in Europe are now using DNA to track down irresponsible pet owners, who do not clean up their dogs' poop.  If you're caught, you could be fined around $135 per offense.

Several towns and cities in France, Spain, and the U.K. are using DNA testing to track down irresponsible pet owners. 

They have programs that require pet owners to have their dogs' genetics registered and logged in a database that can be accessed by the authorities for several reasons: If they are lost, or injured - and tracking their opop that has been left out in public.

People can collect stray poo in the streets of these European countries, or on their own property, and send it to the police for DNA analysis.  Which is somehow both crazy, and awesome, at the same time. And yep, if you get caught, you could be paying a $135 fine. 

Ok, so how do they stop people from NOT having their dogs swabbed?  If you're out in public with your pet, it is required that you carry proof that your dog is registered, and if you get caught without it, you could be fined as well - around $40.

Most of these programs are relatively new, so it's unclear how successful they've been. But with all the rules, and possible fines that can be levied, it's probably more of a threat than anything else. I mean, you'd need to have a lot of money and manpower devoted to enforcement and lab testing. 

And, after all, it's not a major crime - it's dog poop.

They are our family, and we love our pets! Many people say they spend more time with their pets than they do their significant other, and some prefer it. They sleep with you, they have their own beds, and some of them even have their own homes!

In 2021, $123.6 billion was spent on our pets in just the U.S.. That includes: Pet food and treats, supplies, vet care, grooming, boarding, training, pet sitting and walking, insurance, etc.

Why does it cost so much to get your furry family member groomed? Dog, and pet grooming, is typically close to - and very often, more - than what we humans spend on our own haircuts. But it's definitely more involved than our own simple haircut.

The Daily Mirror says a London dog groomer is tired of people asking her "why it costs more"  to get their dog groomed? She posted a sign in her window that is pretty funny, and has now gone viral.  It reads:

Top ten reasons it costs more to get our pets groomed than our own hair cut. (By the way - the last one could have really wrapped it all up...)