Could a dog DNA database tackle fouling in Edinburgh?

An Edinburgh councillor is calling for a "dog DNA database" to be set up to tackle dog fouling across the capital.

The scheme would see dog owners having to register their pets with the council, allowing it to test samples of dog mess left in the street and issue fines accordingly.

It is estimated there are 13,000 dogs living in the city.

Councillor Christopher Cowdy said efforts made so far by the authority to address the issue had not worked.

The Conservative councillor tabled a motion on the problem at the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday.

It calls for a report on "the practicalities of establishing a dog DNA register for the city, how it could be enforced, likely costs to set up and run, and how much might be funded through issuance of fines".

Councillor Cowdy admitted it "might take a couple of years" to get up and running but said Edinburgh could be the "vanguard for combating the national problem".

A council report states, however, that the number of dog fouling complaints raised by the public is low and mostly reflects apathy with lack of enforcement rather than concern about the problem.

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Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home suggests approximately 24% of the population own dogs with the number living in Edinburgh estimated at around 13,000 dogs.

In the three years to December 2022, there were on average 1,288 street cleansing requests a year relating to dog fouling in the city.

The council already has the powers to issue fixed penalty notices of £80 to offenders but only four were handed by the authority in 2021.

The councillor said there had been issues with prosecuting "under the current regime".

He said: "I suppose I thought about a dog DNA test as being the only real way you can make out for definite whose dog did what.

"The general idea I'm thinking of is there would be an Edinburgh by-law that would require dog owners to register their dogs with the city council who would hold a database.

"You would be obliged to bring your dog, a DNA swab would be picked up from the dog and recorded on the database, and then if there could be a team of wardens searching for dog foul they would pick it up, take a test from it and hopefully track it down."

Councillor Cowdy said officials confirmed to him the idea was "practically feasible".

He said: "There are obviously issues that most responsible dog owners pick up after their dog anyway, and irresponsible dog owners might not be inclined to register their dog in the first place."

But he added it was a "big problem" that had to be addressed.

'It's unacceptable'

The council is preparing a report looking into the practicalities of the proposal as well as how it might be funded and how much it would raise.

A spokesman for the City of Edinburgh council said the DNA database was just one of a range of measures being considered to tackle dog fouling.

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: "Tackling the issue of dog fouling is a priority for us - it's unacceptable that a small minority of owners should leave dog's dirt anywhere in the capital.

"So I look forward to a report coming to a future committee exploring different ways of reducing this, on top of the work already being carried out by our Waste and Cleansing teams."

Reporting by Local Democracy Reporting Service journalist Donald Turvill.