Clone Your Dead Dog - Never Having to Say Goodbye: Priceless
Some lady in California is having her dead pit bull, Booger, cloned for a sum of $150,000. She became very attached to Booger (chuckle) after he saved her life when she was attacked by another dog. When the dog passed away, she put part of his ear in cold storage and it will now be used by South Korean scientists to create a new Booger (gross). This marks the first time a pet has been cloned for a commercial contract. According to TimesOnline:
Cells have been extracted from Booger’s ear tissue and inserted into ova which were then implanted into eight bitches.
I will refrain from making an “implanted into bitches” joke for the sake of our more sensitive readers.
The only catch here is that, while the clone dog will be genetically identical to Booger, there’s no guarantee he’ll behave like Booger. So really, she’s getting Booger version 1.5. Not exactly a brand new Booger, but a slight modification on the past Booger.
Personally, I’d rather save roughly $149,400 and get a new dog that isn’t genetically modified by Koreans, but I guess that’s the difference between me and crazy.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:42 am
This comment is in support of the handicapped woman who is cloning her service dog. He was an amazing exceptional dog which deserves to be cloned! He saved her life when she was attacked by another animal which tore off her arms, and later became an award winning SERVICE DOG: In essence, he was her “hands”–taking off her shoes and socks, answering her phone, getting her items out of the frig, doing the laundry, pulling her wheelchair and even unlocking and opening the door for her. He won a landmark civil rights case helping handicapped people to enter public places with their service dogs, and he helped his mistress survive a near drowning in a hurricane and flood. Everywhere Booger went, he spread Love and worked his particular brand of magi : He visited old folks homes and veterans centers– lovingly rubbing up against the stumps of those who had lost limbs. He educated school children about service dogs and what they do for handicapped people. He was a mascot for Wal-mart at Christmas time, and rode as a guest of honor in parades. He was so gentle that he slept with a little kitten, and allowed little children to crawl all over him. Yes, Booger was an angel that God rented out to his beloved mistress, to get her through the tough times. It is no wonder a book and movie are being done on this amazing dog, as well as thousands of news articles in INTERNATIONAL headlines. As for those idiots who condemn cloning: cloning is no different than in vetro fertilization. For the handicapped woman who is grieving herself to death for the loss of her friend, it is a chance to have him again and bring her a good night’s sleep. In response to those uninformed idiots who crucify her for “not adopting another pet”, she already HAS adopted five more dogs– saving them from from the pound needle and the roadside, but she says they were “not the same as Booger”. As for those nosey busybodies who criticize her for ‘’spending thousands on cloning” Booger–Keep in mind, it is HER money not THEIRS; She sold her home and made great financial sacrifices to pay for the cloning, moreover, no one else has the right to tell her how to spend it. These idiots who wrongfully judge her should mind their own darn business, and not begrudge this sweet old lady, who has to endure terrible physical pain every day–closure and happiness and finally, a good night’s sleep for the reachable dream of holding her precious Booger once again. Apparently the Korean scientists have more compassion than any of you gossipmongers who have nothing more to do than judge another.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Thanks for the comment. I understand that this dog was obviously wonderful and I’m not against cloning at all. I think you miss the point, though. This is not a chance for her to have her dog again. It’s the chance to have a dog that is the same on the genetic level which does not guarantee that it will behave the same. For all she knows, this dog could end up being overly aggressive which puts her in a horrible position.
Death is part of life. We’ve all lost people and pets that are close to us. The idea is that we have to be able to let go when the time comes. Going so far as to sell one’s house to try to resurrect a lost pet is unhealthy and only leads to more pain and sadness. What happens when this one dies? Is she going to run herself into debt trying to pay for another one?
No one is telling her what she can and can’t do, but we do have the right to criticize such a decision just as you have the right to defend it.
Thanks again.
August 9th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
[...] may remember back in February when I posted about a crazy bereaved woman who decided to clone her recently deceased pit bull, Booger (chuckle [...]