Dog excrement on the street and in parks: In a community near Bonn, the problem reaches new dimensions. But Mayor Anna-Katharina Horst has a creative solution. DNA analyzes of the dog poop should lead back to the owners in the future.
The municipality of Weilerswist in the west of Bonn wants to tackle a stinky problem with a DNA analysis: Mayor Anna-Katharina Horst wants to do something about dog waste on the streets and in parks. Among other things, the non-party local politician asked the NRW Association of Towns and Municipalities whether a legal basis could be created to take DNA samples from dogs. In this way, it would be possible to determine which dogs caused the stinking piles - and which owners are responsible.
Other communities are also interested in a solution, she reports. "It is a fact that there are some dog owners who do not comply with the obligation to remove dog waste," says the mayor of the Eifel municipality.
Weilerswist is in the district of Euskirchen and has 17,500 inhabitants - and 1,586 dogs. The politician says there are also piles in cemeteries and playgrounds. The employees of the building yard also suffer from the fact that, for example, green areas are misused as dog toilets, as she reports. A face mask is not enough to protect yourself from the raised feces - a visor is needed.
The reactions to her initiative were mixed, reports Horst, who grew up with dogs herself. "What I get is mostly pro." She wanted to get rid of dog poop from public spaces. Their motive is not to fill the municipal coffers. "I rely on a deterrent."
