A few dog lovers around the world may be experiencing double the love soon. A biotech company based in Northern California called BioArts International recently announced that it will clone 5 dogs for the 5 highest bidders of their online auctions.
The opening bids will start at $100,000 for the service of having a dog cloned by South Korean scientist, Hwang Woo-suk. As it turns out, Woo-suk is not unfamiliar with the spotlight, as he has sufferedinternational shame after it was revealed that he faked some of his ground breaking human clone research.
The BioArts chief Executive, Lou Hawthorne has some experience working with pet lovers in the past. He used to run a different company that offered the service of cloningbeloved pet cats. The cat cloning company quickly folded, as there was little interest from the public to spend some $50,000 to have their cats cloned.
But it seems dog owners may be a lot more willing than cat owners to seek the services of cloning their pets from BioArts. Hawthorne said in a recent article for MSNBC, “The average dog owner has a different relationship with his dog than the average cat owner. The level of intensity on the dog side just dwarfed what we saw on the cat side.”
Woo-suk’s South Korean team of researchers has cloned Hawthorne’s dog Missy who died in 2002. The team created three clones of Missy and according to Hawthorne the new dogs have the same mischievous streak as his old dog once had.
What do you think of the idea of a service that clones pets?
If the price were right, would this be something you would consider having done?
I am at a point in my life that NOTHING surprises me anymore.
Now mankind thinks it can create life too.
We need to stop now before this gets out of hand.
Only God creates life and takes it away.
If you don't believe me, start reading the most read book in history, The Holy Bible.
pynoblem::
on Aug 03, 2008
I just lost Toby after 21 years. He was our child. A clone would never replace him nor would I want it to. I always adopt my dogs from a particular animal shelter. I know that they do not receive the right care, and I know that I am truly rescuing an animal. This help with the grieving process. I think cloning would take away from the uniqueness of an individual.
LATeach::
on Aug 03, 2008
I agree, pynoblem. I'm not sure what people are expecting with a clone. I love the surprises, the uniqueness, the unexpected that our pets, our children, and life in general throw at us. Sorry about your Toby.
bdigit::
on Aug 07, 2008
GROSS! I'm definitely against this!
marlo-1130::
on Aug 21, 2008
I think this is so wrong......stop trying to play God.
sireeshasri::
on Sep 03, 2008
dump test
sjsmtlaurel::
on Sep 10, 2008
I think that there are too many homeless animals in this world for cloning them to be a good idea. The expense of one cloned animal could provide food and shelter for the homeless for a long time and maybe prevent euthanizing so many of them.
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