The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipal Council on Monday approved an amendment to a municipal bylaw, allowing the city to perform DNA testing on dogs for the purpose of enforcing laws mandating that owners clean up after their pets, Israel Hayom reported. Under the amended bylaw, dog owners will be required to provide genetic means of identifying their dogs when they renew or request a dog license. The move was approved as part of the municipality's continued and determined battle to ensure that local dog owners clean up their pets' feces. As part of the enforcement activities, municipal supervisors will test dog feces left around the city for their DNA and match it to the city's database. Owners of dogs whose feces were left around the city will receive notice of the fine via mail, and in accordance with the amendment will be required to pay the cost of the DNA sampling and testing. The amendment will be passed to the Interior Ministry for examination, in accordance with the law, Israel Hayom added. Tel Aviv-Jaffa has one of the highest dog-to-human ratios in the world, with over 40,000 households owning dogs. In essence, one in every eleven residents of Tel Aviv owns a dog, Israel Hayom noted. These dogs excrete their feces around the city, and according to city data, an average of 500 kilograms (1102 lbs) of dog feces are left around the city each month by the dogs' owners. The city already collects the feces, fines owners, and has places bags for collecting feces at parks and playgrounds, and has constructed dozens of dog parks in various areas of the city.
