Of course there are quieter places in Bolzano for a Pinscher to do his business. But now he is crouching down on Waltherplatz in South Tyrol’s capital, right in front of the cathedral. The owner, in his mid-20s, wearing a fur-trimmed down jacket and dog on a leash, doesn’t seem to care much. He doesn’t even look up from his phone. Then the dog and owner leave again. The legacy remains lying there, pretty much in the middle of the well-used square. One can guess how the matter will end.
Such scenes will soon be a thing of the past in Italy’s northernmost province with its half a million inhabitants – the majority German-speaking – and the many millions of tourists. The state government is currently setting up a database with the municipalities in which the genetic material of more than 40,000 local dogs will be recorded.
Since the beginning of the year, providing a DNA sample has been mandatory by law. The collected samples should then be used to determine which dog a pile came from. Aside from that, the genetic material is also said to help if someone has been bitten or dogs are involved in traffic accidents.
Penalties of up to 1048 euros
According to previous decisions, the database should be operational by the summer. The proposed penalties for lying down are significant: between 292 and 1048 euros. There is no such thing as a dog tax in South Tyrol. For comparison: In Germany, depending on the federal state, between 10 and 150 euros are due if dog owners think they don’t have to bend down.
Various municipalities in Europe have already come up with the idea of solving the problem by storing genetic data. This was also considered in London and Paris. In Germany, smaller communities such as Weilerswist near Bonn or Bad Neualbenreuth in the Upper Palatinate are concerned with this.
So far, this has mostly failed due to data protection and other legal hurdles. In South Tyrol, where clean sidewalks and hiking trails are more important than anywhere else, you are now probably closer than anywhere else.
Only a fifth of dog owners take part
The topic is still highly controversial among the population today. So far, only about a fifth of dog owners have gone to the vet to have their pet’s saliva taken using a cotton swab or blood sampled with a syringe. The state government is currently talking about 7,000 to 8,000 samples submitted, which are now being stored centrally. Many are outraged by the 65 euro fee – especially since the doctor’s fee is also added. If you have multiple dogs, this can be expensive.
There is also great anger among locals that tourists’ animals are excluded from the regulation. “Three quarters of the holidaymakers who come to South Tyrol have a dog with them,” says Vanni Campanella (59), who travels with his husky. “But they are completely left out. That’s not fair.”
Linde Malknecht, who walks her mixed breed along the Eisack River, also feels that she has been treated unfairly. “The whole of Bolzano has become dirtier in recent years. But only we have to pay.”
Critics hope for changes
Many dog owners are now hoping that the law will be changed. The South Tyrolean Chamber of Veterinarians also points out that important questions are still unresolved. “For example, we don’t yet know who will take the sample once the pile is on the street. Not everyone is allowed to do that,” says its president Franz Hintner to the German Press Agency.
These will probably be sworn employees of the municipal public order offices. In any case, the South Tyrolean police have already made it clear that they already have enough to do.
It is also unclear how the courts will decide if there is trouble after a DNA comparison. Dog owner Campanella points out: “What actually happens if I put everything in the bag and take it to the trash can – and then a bad neighbor comes and puts everything back on the street? How are you going to prove that?” Nevertheless, he is convinced that there is no way around the gene database. In any case, he himself had already taken the husky to the doctor.
“Because we’re German after all”
Chamber President Hintner is also certain that, despite all the criticism and concerns, the vast majority of South Tyrolean dog owners will follow the law. “Because we’re Germans,” says the veterinarian from Merano. “We just have a mentality: If we’re told something, we’ll do it.”
