Couple Spends $100,000 To Clone Their Dog

I love my cat, and while I tend to not think about it, one of these days I'm going to be sorely missing her. After all, she's got a unique personality, and we've been through a lot in the last 8 years. One couple felt much the same way about their dog who passed away not long ago, and decided that they were going to take measures to bring him back.

Don't worry, this isn't a story about a zombie dog, or Frankenstien's pup. Since there's no way to bring back a loved one that has passed on, the couple took the next route, which is only slightly less strange. They went to a South Korean firm called Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, and asked to have their dog cloned, using some of his DNA.

The couple payed £67,000 (or roughly $100,000) to the company and provided them with tissue samples of Dylan, their beloved boxer. Well this week, that hefty price paid off, as not one, but two cloned pups were born. And what's even more remarkable, is that they were able to clone him nearly two weeks after his death. Previously, the limit for cloning a dog was 5 days after death.

The expensive story has a happy ending, as the couple got to meet their new pups, recently. Both Chance and Shadow (yes, named after the characters in Disney's Homeward Bound movie) are healthy, and according to their owners, "all the colourings and patterns on his body are in exactly the same places as Dylan had them."

I'm not quite sure how I'd feel about cloning my cat. Obviously, the price is far from something I could afford, but even if it weren't, I'm not sure if I'd do it. It would be strange to have the exact same cat, only different. If it was an affordable service, would you?

VIA: Guardian