In Scottsdale, your dog's business is now official business — thanks to an Homeowners Association (HOA) demanding DNA tests to crack down on uncollected poop.
Jaclyn Taylor, 30, has gone viral after revealing her HOA forced every pet owner in her condominium complex to DNA test their dogs in a controversial crackdown.
Taylor shared her story on TikTok, saying she faced daily fines and public shaming simply for refusing to take part in the scheme to tackle what she sees as a non-existent problem.
The saga began when an HOA employee spotted Taylor walking her dog Remi — who wasn't wearing a green tag signaling she'd been DNA tested.
'I told them I wasn't planning to do the DNA test — I just didn't want to. But they kept sending notices and charging me fines every day,' Taylor, a personal brand coach, told Daily Mail.
'They were going to charge me $250 a day,' she said. 'I held out for maybe 48 hours before they sent me two warning emails back-to-back saying it was my final notice.'
Finally, Taylor gave in.
'They made me go into the office with my dog, so they could physically see my dog get DNA tested. I had to swab her mouth and I had to pay for it,' she said. The DNA test cost $150.
Jaclyn Taylor, 30, was threatened with HOA fines for not DNA testing her dog Remi
Taylor lives in an HOA-controlled condo she owns in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her dog
Before Taylor took Remi in for the DNA test, she said: 'Other neighbors would actually report me if they saw me walking my dog without the green tag. I felt like the only one against the whole thing.'
'I have never once seen any dog poop left around our complex. So it felt like a totally made-up problem,' she added.
Taylor says her dog doesn’t even use the shared grass areas outside her Arizona condo.
She said: 'She stays inside, and we use pee pads on the patio. I explained all of that, but it didn't matter - they still made me do the test.'
'The idea that someone is going around picking up poop, sending it off for DNA testing, and trying to match it to a specific dog is just… it's a lot,' she said, 'especially considering this is a mostly older demographic.
'I haven't heard of any actual cases where someone's dog poop was tested and fined. It all seems like a bluff.'
Taylor also suspects her age made her a target.
'I'm by far the youngest homeowner in the complex - I'm 30 - and they've definitely treated me differently because of that. In the beginning, I think they were trying to pressure me to move.
'The head of the HOA committee used to walk by my windows and literally peek inside. I had to send an email asking them to stop - it was so creepy,' she said.
Taylor says her dog doesn't even used the shared grass areas outside her condo
Taylor pays monthly HOA fees to live in her condo and enjoy the amenities (file image)
And despite Taylor paying monthly HOA fees to live in her condo and enjoy the amenities, when her father came to visit, they went to the gym together and he was kicked out for not being a resident.
Taylor is certainly not the only US homeowner living under the strict regime of an HOA.
There are an estimated 365,000 homeowner associations in the US, housing roughly 30 percent of the population.
Residents pay monthly fees - that are often steep - to these associations, and in some areas these costs are growing at a worrying rate.
Many residents are also subjected to fines for petty infractions - including paint jobs, landscaping and leaving trash cans outside for a moment too long - with some even threatened with foreclosure.
Some lawmakers are pushing to abolish HOAs in their communities entirely.