One Brooklyn Bridge Park turns to DNA testing of dog feces

It was on virtually every floor and even in the main lobby — a gross miscellany of urine, vomit and feces. The residents of tony One Brooklyn Bridge Park have since taken extreme measures to hunt down owners who encourage their canines to use the building as their back yard — requiring DNA testing.

The building’s board of managers decided to implement the policy in December and started enforcing it in May, according to the New York Times. Under the new rule, all dog owners in the building are required to submit their pooches for DNA testing, and are subject to a $250 fine if waste that matches their pet is found in building stairwells, hallways, or other common areas.

The building holds 435 condos and about 175 dogs. In December, tenants reported 52 findings of diarrhea, vomit and urine. Staff spent an average of 20 minutes cleaning the messes.

“We couldn’t bring down the incident rate through communication with our residents and tenants,” said Douglas Eisenstein, board president and dog owner. “Every dog owner has forgotten a bag. Your wife goes out and uses the last roll and forgets to replace it. Accidents happen. I get it. But I have never been able to understand the frequency of these incidents in this city.”

Seven DNA matches have been made since enforcement began in May, the Times reported. Fines of $250 were levied and one owner was found to be in violation twice.

The average two-bedroom apartment in One Brooklyn Bridge Park sells for about $2.5 million.

Sunshine Group founder Louise Sunshine and Stribling & Associates head honcho Elizabeth Stribling are notable residents. [NYT] — Tess Hofmann