Posts tagged "trakr"

It may seem like the stuff of made-for-TV sci-fi, but that litter of sweet puppies prancing around on your neighbor's lawn could be a pack of clones. In his new book, "Dog Inc.: The Uncanny Inside Story of Cloning Man's Best Friend," journalist John Woestendiek uncovers the slippery slope (and often under-the-radar) business of cloning the domestic dog. We asked the author to divulge some of the book's juicier tidbits. Ever heard of the glow-in-the-dark dog? Neither had we.

What inspired you to write "Dog Inc."?
At the time, I was working as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and one of my beats was writing a dog blog. While covering some stories related to cloning, I met Bernann McKinney, a former beauty queen who eventually became the first customer to have a dog cloned. She left me message after message about her story, which led to an article for the paper about how the practice of cloning pets was turning into a commercial business. I was struck by the lengths people involved in domestic cloning -- from the scientists to the owners -- were willing to go for their pets. It was great material for a book. And, ultimately, I wanted to explore one big question: If cloning dogs is okay, is cloning humans okay?


Why has domestic cloning predominantly focused on dogs?
It's partly the place dogs hold in our hearts. I don't want to say that we connect more with canines, but I do think a lot of owners come to see themselves in their dogs. This is the reason people often stick with the same breed. For a couple of decades now, I've done the dog thing, and when my own died, I got another one that was very similar, with the same coat and everything. No other domestic animal is closer, emotionally, to humans.

After delivering healthy cloned dogs to five clients, BioArts International has decided to discontinue their cloning practice.

We first reported on BioArts when Trakr, a heroic 9/11 search and rescue dog, was cloned after his owner won BioArts' Best Friends Again contest. Since then, however, several problems have become apparent, which CEO Lou Hawthorne outlined in a company press release.

Hawthorne reveals that the pet cloning market is even tinier and more specialized than he assumed. Although he spent over 10 years studying animal cloning and knew the subject was controversial, he was surprised at the number of people who refused to clone a pet even if the price was zero. With demand so low, it was impossible for BioArts to keep prices low enough for people to even consider having their beloved cloned.

A larger problem is the unlicensed competition. Though BioArts possesses a license to clone dogs (which they hoped would protect their technology), it's proven to be largely pointless, as other companies, notably RNL Bio, plan to offer the same cloning services at a discounted price and without paying the license. The company that holds BioArts' license has yet to go after unlicensed cloners, leading to a relatively free cloning market.

This brings up another issue -- ethics.

According to Hawthorne's statement, "[T]here is no technical way that RNL can deliver clones for $30,000 (an 80 percent price cut) unless they completely abandon all bioethical safeguards for surrogate mothers who carry the clones to term."

Concern for the surrogates is just one side of this sad story as there's also concern over what is done with the clones with physical anomalies that make them "undeliverable."

Hawthorne listed some of these anomalies in his statement (skip over this if you're squeamish and continue after the jump):

Trakr, a German Shepherd who died in April at the age of 16 from a degenerative brain disease, will live on in more than just his owner's memories. BioArts International has produced five genetic clones of the heroic dog.

So, why Trakr? Truth be told, he was an incredibly special dog. According to the NY Daily News, he and his owner, James Symington, were among the first K-9 teams at Ground Zero on September 11. They helped to locate the final human survivor, trapped beneath 30 feet of unstable debris.

Symington entered and won BioArts' Best Friends Again contest. In his essay, Symington wrote, "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."

BioArts CEO, Lou Hawthorne, said, "Trakr's story blew us away."