The Daily BuzzBuilding accused of "dog racism" for demanding puppy DNA tests
A New York City apartment building is being accused of “dog racism” after demanding residents submit their pets for DNA testing to identify unwanted breeds.
According to DNAinfo.com, residents of 170 West End Ave. were told in May that they must provide certification from a registered veterinarian that proves the pedigree of their dogs. If the dog is a mixed breed, the certification must explain what percentage of each breed comprise the dog’s genetic makeup.
If the owner can’t provide that information, the building's new policy says it can force the owner to perform DNA testing to find out the exact genetic makeup of each puppy.
If a dog is found to have over 50 per cent of any of the 27 breeds banned by the building’s co-op board, the dog would be evicted from the building.
Banned breeds in the building include large dogs like St. Bernards, German shepherds and pit bulls, but also basset hounds, shih tzus, maltese and popmeranians.
“It’s like dog racism essentially,” one barking-mad dog-owning resident said of the new policy. “It’s beyond offensive, it’s intrusive.”
But the co-op board said the banned dogs are known to make living in the building less enjoyable.
The board members want to know the pet’s genetic make-up because it has a long list of dogs that “are not permitted to reside in the building based upon documented information regarding their tendency towards aggressiveness,” the policy says.
The building policy is the latest example of DNA testing entreating the realm of pet ownership. In April, a Burnaby, B.C. apartment building made headlines after threatening to perform DNA testing on all the dogs in the building - to find out which one pooped in a hallway.
In Seattle, PooPrints is currently servicing 26 buildings to identify via DNA testing which dogs are messing up the common areas.
