Coming Soon To A DOT Medical Routine Near You?

Chicago apartment building using DNA testing to catch dog poop scofflaws

Determined to get to the bottom of an ongoing dog waste problem, management at one pet-friendly West Loop rental apartment building has turned to a high-tech solution — feces forensics.

Dog poop that goes unscooped at the Luxe will now be submitted for DNA testing in an effort to get sanitation scofflaws to clean up their act.

Residents in the 102-unit building at 1222 W. Madison St were required earlier this year to have their dogs submit to cheek swabs, setting up a DNA database to positively identify the poopetrators, who now face fines and possible eviction.

Greystar, the South Carolina-based company managing the apartment building, sent a letter to residents calling dog waste "a real concern for our community" and giving owners until Jan. 31 to get their pets swabbed.

"Although we have sent out prior communication addressing this issue, we still have received numerous complaints," Greystar said in the December letter. "We try to manage this problem as best we can; however, as this issue has continued to affect our community, we are now forced to implement the Pet DNA program."

A Greystar spokeswoman declined to comment for this story Tuesday.

Under the Pet DNA program, stools found in and around the building will be sent to a Tennessee lab for testing and identification, according to the letter. Residents will be fined $250 for the first offense and $350 for each subsequent one.


Dogs play at the Belmont Harbor dog beach in 2015. A West Loop rental apartment building will use DNA testing to identify dogs whose excrement is not scooped by owners. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The Luxe is working with PooPrints, part of Knoxville-based BioPet Vet Lab. Launched in 2011, PooPrints serves more than 2,000 properties in 48 states, Canada and England, according to Ernie Jones, sales manager for BioPet.

"The large part of it is apartment complexes — multifamily housing where they have small yards and a lot of dogs," Jones said.

Once the DNA database is established, building management will mail stool samples from scofflaws to the lab for testing. "We extract the DNA from that material, match it to the dogs in the database and report to them which dog it came from," Jones said.

Testing costs about $100 per sample, a charge that will be passed along to Luxe residents who fail to clean up after their pets. Jones said most clients report a 95 to 99 percent reduction in dog waste on the property after instituting the program.

The Luxe was initially designed as a 58-unit condo development called Mod, but was converted to apartments before it hit the market in 2009, a casualty of the recession. Fifield Cos. acquired the building in December 2012, rebranding it as Luxe on Madison and adding a 46-unit expansion.

One Luxe resident, who asked not to be identified, had her own dog swabbed and expressed support for the DNA program, which finally adds some teeth to the ubiquitous warning to pick up after your pet.

"You shouldn't have a dog if you don't intend to pick up after it," she said. "I don't want to step in poop."


Chicago apartment building using DNA testing to catch dog poop scofflaws