Duluth Apartment Complex Takes on Poo-Petrators

Management at Endi Apartments in Duluth Announce Animal Owners Who Don't Pick up Poop will now Pay a Fine

DULUTH, Minn. – Turds are now the talk of the town, at least at Endi Apartment complex on London Road in Duluth.

A new policy in effect will enforce residents to think twice after their furry friend leaves something on the ground that’s not so nice.

“It’s not an option, it’s a requirement in our building,” said Peggy Walsh, Property Manager at Endi.

Turd burglars are taking over one abandoned pile at a time.

“We’re very pet friendly and we have a large percentage of animal population,” said Walsh.

Residents at Endi recently received an email from management notifying them of the new DNA sampling of poo piles left behind. Pet owners are now in the process of swabbing their animals and sending in the samples so their animal’s DNA can be entered into a national database.

56 dogs currently call Endi home. The complex includes 142 units.

“It brings residents satisfaction across the board. People aren’t bumping into poop and it also contributes to the cleanliness of the property,” said Walsh.

Walsh tells FOX 21 Local News, the average dog produces 276 pounds of poop per year. This amount has Walsh and her staff now identifying all the doo doo left behind with the use of DNA sampling company PooPrints.

“The safety is a big one for us and the environmental impact because all of the bacteria that grows out of just one fecal dropping of a dog, there’s over three billion bacteria in one dropping and over time that can work its way into our lakes and streams,” said Walsh.

The Tennessee based DNA sampling company functions with a simple model.

Endi is now receiving DNA kits (which cost around $40 per kit) including gloves, a knife, a bag and a small vile to put the poop in.

After the sample is collected, it’s shipped off to the company’s headquarters where lab technicians run the sample and eventually send back the results.

“I felt like doing the DNA testing was an easy way to identify who did it without involving the entire property and creating a whole problem that was bigger than just the pile,” said Walsh.

Management at Endi has already sent in four samples from its grounds for testing.

When the results arrive, the risky residents will be facing a fine if the poo proves true.

“There’s no warning, $350 is the fine for the first offense,” said Walsh.

A second offender will face a $450 fine, and if your pet’s poop is collected a third time, this could create new living arrangements for the animal.

“Everyone knows, as a dog owner in this building, it’s their responsibility to pick up their own waste,” said Walsh. “When we have to go out there picking up the poop, it’s our time and resources as well.”

Although Endi is the first apartment complex to enforce fecal DNA testing in Duluth, there are currently 244 clients using PooPrints in Minnesota.

Walsh says as time goes on, residents and future clients should take well to the new policy, and the results should be at least 90 percent accurate (give or take a random turd found from an outsider).

Click here to contact Endi Apartments.