Italian province orders DNA tests for all dogs to track down owners behind street mess

Dog owners can face a fine up to 1,048 euros if they refuse
Getty Images
Ayan Omar19 January 2024

A province in northern Italy has said dog owners will need to submit a sample of their pet’s DNA to crack down on the rising issue of dog poo left on the streets. 

Government officials in Bolzano and surrounding towns in the Dolomites region are setting up a database where the samples will be registered for the almost 40,000 dogs in the area. Around 10,000 have already been registered so far. 

The new measures have been put in place to deal with complaints received over dog owners not picking up their dog’s faeces.  

Once the database is up and running, street cleaners and health officials will be able to collect any abandoned dog poop and trace it back to the owners, who will face a fine anywhere between 50 to 500 euros (£42 -£430).  

Any owners refusing to comply will face fines over 292 to 1,048 euros (£250-£900).  

Veterinary department director Paolo Zambotto told Reuters: “Bolzano receives a few hundred complaints a year from citizens about improper management of public land. More than half are for dogs.

"Law enforcement could only catch three or four of them because they have to go there and set up some kind of stakeout.”

DNA registration will become compulsory from around late March. Owners are now expected to pay more than £65 for blood tests for their dogs, in municipal dog shelters or vet clinics. 

Mr Zambotto did not give an estimate of the costs needed to run the project, but payments from the fines are expected to cover the administration expenses.  

He added that other cities in Italy have been in touch to replicate the system across the country.  

Tourists and non-residents are exempted from the regulation. A similar scheme was introduced in east London in 2016 to track down irresponsible dog owners using an animal DNA testing program. 

In 2022, London council Hammersmith and Fulham, proposed a rule, which would require dog walkers to show a bag or scoop if asked by an official or risk facing a £100 fine. 

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in