Town Delivers Dog Poop Back to Owners Who Didn't Pick It Up

Brunete has seen drastic reduction in offenses, official says
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 6, 2013 2:14 PM CDT
Updated Jun 9, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

A Spanish town has come up with an innovative way to deal with the problem of dog owners who don't clean up after their pets: mail the poop back to the owners. Officials in Brunete recruited 20 volunteers to keep an eye out for offenders, the Local reports. When they spot someone not picking up their dog's mess, they mosey on over and start chatting with the owner, as if they're just interested in the lovely animal. "They’d ask them what the dog’s name and pedigree was. With that information they could find out the address of the pooch’s owner from a registered pet database we have," a Town Hall spokesperson explains.

The volunteer then picks up the poop and delivers it right back to the owner, along with a warning that they could be fined. The excrement is referred to as a "lost and found" item, and the recipients are sometimes caught on hidden camera, thinkSPAIN reports. Officials say dog poop on the streets has declined 70%. Before trying this approach, officials tried chasing owners who didn't pick up poop with a remote-controlled "turd on wheels" carrying the message, "Don't leave me, pick me up!" (More strange stuff stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X