It happens all the time, people are not picking up after their pets, and it's a real problem.
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“Everybody who has a dog needs to be cleaning up after it. Don’t let him or her pee or poop where they are not wanted," said Billings resident Joey Traywick, while playing fetch with his labradoodle.
Now, companies like Poo Prints are contracting with property managers and homeowners associations to help enforce poop pick up.
Here’s how it works.
Owners pay to register their dogs and are given a kit to collect a sample of poop. Then, a DNA sample from that poop is kept on file, so when unscooped waste is found by those from the company, it’s sent off and tested.
If it comes back with a match, that dog’s owner is fined, usually a few hundred dollars.
And it’s no empty threat; many of those at the dog park say they’ve not only heard of this but have also seen it enforced.
“I have a friend who has a dog, and sometimes the kids aren’t paying attention, and I’m sure sometimes the dogs just wander off and poop somewhere they’re not supposed to poop. They got in trouble because their dog wandered away and made a mess. How am I supposed to know," said Traywick.
Owners we talked to say they think that these property owners and HOAs are doing too much.
“Maybe pay somebody to come get it, or be a good neighbor and just pick it up for somebody if they forgot, but I think that it seems ridiculous,” said Annette Redding, who brought her two huskies to Centennial Dog Park.
“Back in the day, we’d just have a conversation. ‘Hey man, don’t let your dog poop in my yard’ or ‘don’t let your dog poop over here.’ ‘Oh, is that me? I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up. Won’t happen again.’ That’s what makes us human, is the ability to go ‘I’m sorry’ versus ’No, now you’re on the hook legally," Traywick said.
“That’s going a little too far out of bounds of what an HOA or a rental property should be doing," Redding said.
They say they don’t think owners should face fines for what might be a mistake, but they understand the need to handle repeat offenders.
Owners add that with so many bags available in parks across the city, there really should be no excuse.
“If somebody is a routine violator all the time and they’re just letting their dogs do whatever whenever, yes, that guy needs a talking to. For the most part, dog people are cool people," said Traywick.
