9/11 'Hero' Dog Cloned For California Couple

LOS ANGELES — Scientists in California say they have cloned a dog that helped with search-and-rescue after the New York terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Five German shepherd puppies cloned from a dog named Trakr have been delivered to owner James Symington, a former police officer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who now lives in Los Angeles.

Before Trakr died in April at age 16, Symington entered a contest sponsored by the California company BioArts International that offered to clone a pet dog for free.

Symington took Trakr to New York after the World Trade Center collapsed and said Trakr helped find one woman who was still alive.

Symington was briefly in hot water for working at the Trade Center while he was supposed to be on medical leave.

Comments

[dancingdogblog]

Since everybody knows that shelters are filled with great dogs, some of whom are excellent candidates for working dogs (sniffer dogs in law enforcement, hospice and nursing home visitors, and helper dogs for those with disabilities) I'm guessing the only possible reason for such cloning is scientific, one aspect of which is exciting--to determine to what degree a species going extinct might be saved, as mentioned by the first commenter here. This experiment may reveal if the same instincts and talents will consistently show up in the clone thereby determining if the judicious use of clones will give the species the strength to grow to a healthy population or not.

It is weird to think of that couple who spent enormous amounts of money on cloning their pet because they loved the dog so much...I won't tell people how to spend their money, but, wow. They did give a significant monetary gift to a shelter, but the dog will get sick and will die much earlier than he or she should and what then?

[AmandaBC]

Cloned animals averagely live half a normal life span and they're more prone to sickness. I believe it's cruel to impose that on a pet. Trakr is d.ead, you're not going to bring him back. The puppies may LOOK like him, but they're not him.

[TazoWolf]

Cloning does not reproduce the original animal. The mitochondrial DNA is always different (donated from the egg donor), gestational environment is different, and of course, different environmental factors following birth. At best, you can preserve good genetics, but you don't reproduce the individual that originally existed. As a means of preserving outstanding genetics, where the animal can't be bred, I'm ok with it, but to want a copy of their previous pet is ridiculous.

[fcsakes]

Good Lord man, how can you call yourself humane? Walk through an animal shelter before breeding (or cloning), many rescue and service dogs are taken from local shelters, trained and are magnificent rescuers, sniffers, and guide dogs. What the hell were you thinking?

[notconfindtweenhatnboots]

The last dog that the media had reported that was cloned, was cloned in South Korea. Coincidence? I am sure that the multiple other cloned pups went on someone's dinner plate. Very disturbing.

[AmandaBC]

Cloning is a very expensive process. Unless you're some kind of c.razy person (the kind that loves to burn dollar bills), it makes no sense whatsoever to eat a cloned animal.

[plaidsportcoat]

Take some of your fat bankroll and see if there's something you can do for people in this crisis, with your dogs.

[letsmakesense]

Why does the AP cover this bland story relating to 911 but never reported the real 911 story?
Answer AP is in on the inside job. Google 911 inside job.

[baka432]

Oh wow! I didn't know you guys still existed!

[jl4141]

I suggest you Google "mental health care."

[KatoAto]

I'm not sure how I really feel about cloning.

Nature is smarter than us and always will be - b/c She's done hundreds of thousands of years of research.

I'm not saying one of these dogs is going to turn into Cujo or anything but...I think cloning of living creatures opens up a possible world of hurt for us. I can't say in what way (mutation, expression of genes in a way unforeseen), but I just have a feeling...

[melgris]

25% of dogs at shelters are pure breeds, dumped by their owners because they do not meet the standards they are looking for. Was this really necessary? Just because they are clones does not mean that he's guaranteed even half of the dog that Trakr was. Science should be put to better use.

[baka432]

So far you're the only person I agree with. The need of animals who currently do not have homes trump the scientific need for cloning.

[Colloquielle]

If this were just about maintaining the genetic makeup of a much-loved pet, I'd agree completely - that would be a daft reason to get into cloning, given the inherently poorer health and shorter lifespan of the cloned animals. There's a lot more to it than that, though. The possibilites of rescuing species we've lost (there was a decent chance that the thylacine - the Tasmanian tiger - could be brought back using this sort of technology) and making positive contributions in other ways are fantastic.

I don't think we should be cloning our family pets, no matter how much we love them, as the end game, but as a stepping stone to using the technology to maybe repair some of the harm humans have done to the animal kingdom, I can see it as a blessing.