KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) --You've seen the signs in public parks.
Now, one Knoxville condo complex is sending its residents the same message; curb your dog. And as we found out, they've gone to extreme measures to track down the dirty dogs and their owners.

At Cherokee Bluff condominium complex, Stephanie Wayland runs the pet committee. She said, "when you're enjoying a beautiful place like where we live, you don't want to have your eyes down at your feet all the time to make sure you're not stepping in a pile of poo."

They've tried everything to get owners to pick up after their dogs.
Board member Glenis Moore told us they set up baggie equipped " pet stations," sent newsletters and emails, and "we even tried the 'if you see someone doing it, report them so we can go remind them they're not supposed to be doing that."

But nothing worked. Wayland said, '"through ignorance or a fierce sense of independence some people don't recognize that when you're in a community, there are things you need to do for the community."

There are about 130 condominiums in the complex. More than half of the people have dogs. Some, who didn't wish to be on camera said, " it's only dog poop, so why the big stink?"

Wayland responded, "dog waste is a real volatile area for flies breeding, maggots, etc. It also is a host for salmonella, chlamydia, a lot of other diseases that humans can get from dog waste."

So that's why the pet committee poo patrol is taking action to solve the doggie 'who dunnits'. When the poo patrol does find a violation, they collect a small sample. And ship it out. And that's where Biopet comes in. They use the sample to catch the culprit.

Joe Simpson the owner said, "we take a cheek swab of every dog that's associated with that property, and that is sent into the lab. A DNA profile is created on each individual dog that is a part of that property."

It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. Simpson said, "they'll send in a small amount of feces in a solution that we provide to them, we extract the DNA from that feces and then it's matched back against their database, and then we provide them with the violator. We tell them who the dog owner is and the dog."

Here's how it works: First, one of the lab techs adds a solution to the sample to break up the dog's cells. Next, it goes into the centrifuge to separate DNA from the sample's impurities. Then, a series of filters and washes. A so called PCR machine amplifies the DNA. At the end of this 10 hour process, Biopet pinpoints the dog.

The board bills the owner 60-dollars for the test. That owner also faces a 40-dollar fine. Moore said, "it's certainly a step in the right direction, whether or not it will be effective remains to be seen."

The Cherokee Bluff crackdown begins on June 1st. That's the deadline for owners to submit their dog's cheek swabs.