How dog poop could cost you

If you are one of those dog owners who sometimes "forgets" to pick up after his dog, your poop could be coming back to bite you.

Poop DNA technology (I am not kidding) is allowing city workers in Petah Tikva, Israel clean up the dog crud. Pet owners throughout the city are being asked to bring their dogs in for DNA sampling. In a six-month trial program, poop left in city parks will be collected and tested, and the owners may be hit with fines if their dog is a match.

In business school, I worked with a classmate to develop a (we thought -- and still do!) revolutionary pooper scooper. As part of our "user needs testing," I stalked the central city parks of Philadelphia, watching dog owners pick up after their dogs. It was far harder task than I expected, as 90% of the owners I viewed left the poop behind. One day I brought a prototype to the park. I looked around surreptitiously before picking up several pieces of other people's dog poop. Now that's a vigilante act you don't often see...

I'd just like to make a suggestion to the city leaders in Philadelphia: pay attention! You're missing out on a huge revenue opportunity here.