On their list of priorities, it’s number two.
A famously strict Ponte Vedra Beach condo HOA requires all dogs on its premises to provide DNA samples to help identify owners who don’t clean up after their pets, The Citizen has learned.
All pooches — even those belonging to visitors — must be fully registered with the hardline Belleza HOA.
But there’s a lot more to compliance than scribbling Scooby’s name on a front desk clipboard.
A dog who plans to spend time on Belleza property must submit their photo, along with vaccination history, breed, name, and owner.
The animals must then have their cheek swabbed in the presence of an HOA staffer.
“DNA samples will be forwarded to and maintained in the BioPet Vet Lab World Pet Registry, Knoxville, Tennessee and will be available to the property manager,” the papers state.
All told, the DNA collection process — handled by a company called PooPrints — runs $60.50.
Once the information has been secured, all dogs must “have and display, as appropriate, evidence of all required inoculations and required DNA pet registration tag,” the HOA states.
The mandates apply if the “pet is living in the building, visiting, and/or pet sitting is being provided for any length of time.”
“There are no exceptions to this rule,” the section reiterates.
The discovery of an errant mound on Belleza property triggers a rapid sequence of events designed to identify violators.
Using a special “collection kit” provided by PooPrints, a sample is retrieved and sent off to the firm’s laboratories.
Within 10 days, the doodoo DNA can be matched to the information on file with the HOA, and both the dog — and its owner — can be brought to justice.
HOA spokesperson Lynn Salcedo said the development was plagued with uncollected waste before the crackdown.
Now, residents know they’ll get caught brown-handed.
“We still have an occasional match and those residents are charged with the costs incurred for processing as well as a monetary fine in most cases,” she said. “I would highly recommend this program as out community is much better for it.”
PooPrints touts it’s “ROI” to HOAs, reminding them that the service not only unmasks scat scofflaws, but also reveals the presence of unregistered animals loitering on condo property.
“Find all your unauthorized dogs and realize new pet income,” PooPrints states. “You will also realize income from $250-$500 fines.”
A resident said he’s a fan of the policy. “They enforce the rules very, very strenuously,” he told The Citizen. “You have a lot of people who have animals but then they think someone else will take care of it. This forces people to take responsibility.”
He estimated that as many as 75% of pet owners don’t curb their dogs at nearby properties.
Belleza is not the only condo board to embrace the technology, as the company boasts more than 8,000 clients across the nation.
The Ponte Vedra Beach condo found itself mired in litigation earlier this year after a group of residents objected to making a female restroom staff-only to accommodate employees.
Dissident residents said they’ve been unfairly fined over their protests — and the matter is still pending.
