Cracking down on pet waste

Picture this: It’s a warm summer evening and you decide to take a leisurely walk along one of the island’s scenic trails.

 

Distracted by the views and getting your dog to keep up, you accidentally step into a fresh pile of dog poop left behind by someone else’s poo-petrator. 

 

Beyond the mess and the smell, it’s potentially infectious. To address this global nuisance, PooPrints offers a solution that ensures communities stay clean and safe. 

 

Established in 2008, PooPrints was the first company to offer a DNA service to commercial properties across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Since its inception, the company has reduced the dog waste problem in over 8,000 properties across all 50 states and seven countries, including over 100 communities in the Charleston area.

 

PooPrints’ innovative approach involves registering dogs’ DNA through a simple cheek swab, allowing communities to identify and hold accountable any pet owners who fail to clean up after their dogs. 

 

“Our program reduces 90 to 95% of the waste,” CEO J Retinger explained. “Unlike valet companies, we provide a tool for onsite teams. We see that 70% of the unscooped waste goes away the minute a community announces they’re going to do the program.”

 

The process is simple, Retinger said. When a community adopts PooPrints, each dog is registered with a cheek swab, creating a unique DNA profile. This profile is then stored in PooPrints’ ISO-accredited lab. If unscooped waste is found, a sample is collected using a proprietary waste kit and sent to the lab for analysis. The DNA from the waste is matched against the registered profiles, pinpointing the offending dog.

 

“It’s designed to keep the community accountable and clean,” Retinger said. “Forty percent of dog owners don’t think it’s important to pick up behind their dog. Ultimately, a dog craps twice a day, and that adds up to a lot of poop in a community. The benefits are off the charts for everybody – the dog owners, the non-dog owners, the onsite teams… It’s a win-win for everyone.”

 

Legacy Mount Pleasant Apartments is one of many local neighborhoods that have embraced PooPrints. Marché Jasper, the community manager, shared their positive experience.

 

“We absolutely love PooPrints!” Jasper said. “We are a very pet-friendly apartment community but also a very clean community. Our residents love knowing that they don’t have to worry about finding dog poo outside of their home.” 

 

The Jasper Apartments in downtown Charleston have also seen the benefits of PooPrints firsthand. 

 

“PooPrints has been a very effective program in our community,” property manager Ashley Cantey said. “It has left our community looking beautiful, and significantly cuts down on any clean up that our team would normally need to handle.”

 

In Charleston, the City’s Environmental Control Ordinance requires pet owners to pick up after their pets. Enforcement has been an issue, which is why PooPrints partners with communities trying to tackle the problem at hand. 

 

“Fines for not picking up after your dog have existed for over 20 years,” Retinger noted. “Before, there was no way to enforce it besides setting up cameras and watching everyone all the time. We’re giving them a tool to manage a policy that’s already existed without having to be there all the time.” 

 

Retinger said each community sets its own fine structure, with some Lowcountry neighborhoods fining residents up to $1,000. Depending on the property management company, the cost to implement PooPrints can vary and are incorporated into pet fees or rent.

 

“We’re in a day and age where we ask, ‘How does technology influence the ease of our lives?’” Retinger asked. “We see ourselves as another technology company that is there to aid in how communities operate and how pet owners live their life with their dog.”

 

For residents, the process is a bit tedious, but the PooPrints CEO believes it is simple and necessary.  

 

“It’s unfortunate that sometimes a program has to exist to make sure people do what they’re supposed to do,” he said. “That’s why we have speed limits and seatbelt laws, right? This is just one more process designed to ensure there is protection for people and their dogs.” 

 

PooPrints is not just about keeping neighborhoods clean; it’s about educating its residents on the potential health risks associated with bacteria and parasites found in dog feces. 

 

“At the end of the day, we’re advocates,” Retinger said. “None of us woke up and said, ‘hey, let’s go be the poop police.’ We pride ourselves on education, and this program has allowed more dogs to live in more places. We’re just here to say these are the expectations of pet ownership.”