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Cloned 9/11 Hero Dog
What do you think?
LOS ANGELES -- A local couple has received five clones of their beloved German shepherd that helped with search-and-rescue efforts after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Retired Canadian police officer, James Symington and his wife, received the five puppy clones this week.
The couple entered their German shepherd, Trakr, into a cloning contest last year and won.
Symington had written an essay, detailing why the hero dog should become the world's most "cloneworthy dog."
"Once in a lifetime, a dog comes along that not only captures the hearts of all he touches but also plays a private role in history," Symington wrote in his winning essay.
His story blew organizers away.
Trakr, who passed away in April at the age of 16, was credited with locating the last human survivor of 9/11 in the World Trade Center rubble.
The puppy clones -- Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy and Deja vu -- are said to be exact matches of the heroic canine.
Symington says if the puppies end up having the same abilities as Trakr did, he'll enter them into search and rescue so that they can help people as well.
The contest was sponsored by the California company BioArts International.
BioArts partnered with a South Korean company led by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, whose team performed the controversial cloning. Woo-suk produced the world's first canine clone in 2005.
The company's other dog cloning clients have paid an average of $144,000 to clone their canine pets, but Symington received his for free.
The American Society for the Cruelty of Animals says it is concerned about pet cloning because reports on the health of cloned animals have indicated "a variety of anatomical and physiological problems."
Retired Canadian police officer, James Symington and his wife, received the five puppy clones this week.
The couple entered their German shepherd, Trakr, into a cloning contest last year and won.
Symington had written an essay, detailing why the hero dog should become the world's most "cloneworthy dog."
"Once in a lifetime, a dog comes along that not only captures the hearts of all he touches but also plays a private role in history," Symington wrote in his winning essay.
His story blew organizers away.
Trakr, who passed away in April at the age of 16, was credited with locating the last human survivor of 9/11 in the World Trade Center rubble.
The puppy clones -- Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy and Deja vu -- are said to be exact matches of the heroic canine.
Symington says if the puppies end up having the same abilities as Trakr did, he'll enter them into search and rescue so that they can help people as well.
The contest was sponsored by the California company BioArts International.
BioArts partnered with a South Korean company led by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, whose team performed the controversial cloning. Woo-suk produced the world's first canine clone in 2005.
The company's other dog cloning clients have paid an average of $144,000 to clone their canine pets, but Symington received his for free.
The American Society for the Cruelty of Animals says it is concerned about pet cloning because reports on the health of cloned animals have indicated "a variety of anatomical and physiological problems."
Why create more dogs in a world where pet overpopulation and euthanasia are the norm? The finest tribute would have been to save the life of one of the 7,000 German Shepherds waiting for adoption at shelters in U.S. Cloning pets is so beyond wrong.
Jack @ 4:54 PM PDT, Jun 21, 2009
I think that is one of the best stories I have ever heard.
Dawn @ 6:48 AM PDT, Jun 19, 2009
The cloned dog had his own personality formed over the years, based on his own experiences in life, and to pretend he can be recreated is an insult to his memory not a tribute.
kc @ 1:57 PM PDT, Jun 18, 2009
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