Robert Ménard, mayor of Béziers, France, is tired of finding wayward dog poop all over his town, so he's implementing a policy requiring dogs who walk on the main streets of Béziers to provide their DNA to the local government. The Washington Post reports:
People must carry dog "passports" to prove they complied. If dog poop is found, the city will be authorized to test it to uncover which dog did it. And the owner will be forced to pay for the cleanup.
"I can't stand it anymore," Ménard told The Washington Post.
Ménard, a former journalist who has aligned with France's far right, argues that people not picking up after their dogs is a symptom of a lack of civility in France. If authorities do not enforce the rules, he said, there will be no incentive for people to act in the public interest. . .
Starting this month, dog owners in Béziers will be required to carry a document proving that they registered their dog's DNA when walking in certain central parts of the city.
After a two-month grace period — in which authorities will seek to inform dog owners of the new policy — those who do not have their dog's genetic passport will be fined 38 euros ($43).
If feces are left behind and traced back to a particular dog, that owner will receive a bill for the city's cleaning service worth 122 euros ($136).
Authorities in Béziers hope the threat of a fine will help reduce the time and money sanitation workers spend picking up dog feces in the streets — which they did 25,607 times in 2020, 39,847 times in 2021 and 21,313 times as of Nov. 30, 2022, according to the decree.
Read more about this shitty situation here.
