AMERICAS 
Cuddly canine clones bring dog-lover joy
Wednesday, 6 August, 2008
Bernann McKinney from Hollywood, California, smiles as she holds up a clone of her late beloved former pitbull terrier, at the Seoul National University animal hospital in Seoul. (Getty)
An American woman blinked back tears of joy as she cuddled puppies cloned in South Korea from her beloved former pet pit bull terrier.
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"This is a miracle," said Bernann McKinney from Hollywood in California, hugging five clones of Booger at Seoul National University's veterinary school today.
RNL Bio, the company that arranged the recreation of Booger through his refrigerated ear tissue, hailed the event as the world's first commercial cloning of a pet dog.
"This is my first birthday present. These guys gave me the best present," said McKinney, a movie scriptwriter who turns 58 tomorrow.
The five clones were born from two surrogate mothers on July 28, said Ra Jeong-chan, CEO of RNL Bio, which has launched a commercial dog cloning service in cooperation with Seoul National University (SNU) scientists.
'The same as their daddy'
"They are perfectly the same as their daddy. I am in heaven here. I am a happy person," McKinney said, recalling her years with Booger who saved her life by chasing off a ferocious mastiff which bit her severely.
She said she would consider training some of the pups as service dogs for the handicapped or elderly when they arrive at her home in September.
McKinney said she had contacted South Korean experts after a US company failed to recreate Booger.
The operation was launched in May by a SNU team led by Professor Lee Byeong-chun. He played a key role in creating the world's first cloned dog, an Afghan hound named Snuppy, on a non-commercial basis in 2005.
Ra's company originally charged $US150,000 ($A162,000) to clone Booger. But it agreed to come down to $US50,000 ($A54,000) to celebrate what it calls the first commercial deal for a pet dog.
Commercial cloning service
Ra said Booger's case opens the way for global commercial cloning services for pet lovers since the success rate for dogs is high.
He said his company could clone up to 300 dogs next year for wealthy animal lovers in the US and elsewhere.
The RNL Bio CEO said he will contest claims by a US dog cloning firm, BioArts International, that it is infringing on its patent.
Ra said the university would undertake an ethical review of his firm's business to prevent indiscreet cloning.
"For my next project, I will consider cloning camels for rich people in the Middle East," he said.
Source: AFP/SBS
Click here for more science and technology stories
"This is a miracle," said Bernann McKinney from Hollywood in California, hugging five clones of Booger at Seoul National University's veterinary school today.
RNL Bio, the company that arranged the recreation of Booger through his refrigerated ear tissue, hailed the event as the world's first commercial cloning of a pet dog.
"This is my first birthday present. These guys gave me the best present," said McKinney, a movie scriptwriter who turns 58 tomorrow.
The five clones were born from two surrogate mothers on July 28, said Ra Jeong-chan, CEO of RNL Bio, which has launched a commercial dog cloning service in cooperation with Seoul National University (SNU) scientists.
'The same as their daddy'
"They are perfectly the same as their daddy. I am in heaven here. I am a happy person," McKinney said, recalling her years with Booger who saved her life by chasing off a ferocious mastiff which bit her severely.
She said she would consider training some of the pups as service dogs for the handicapped or elderly when they arrive at her home in September.
McKinney said she had contacted South Korean experts after a US company failed to recreate Booger.
The operation was launched in May by a SNU team led by Professor Lee Byeong-chun. He played a key role in creating the world's first cloned dog, an Afghan hound named Snuppy, on a non-commercial basis in 2005.
Ra's company originally charged $US150,000 ($A162,000) to clone Booger. But it agreed to come down to $US50,000 ($A54,000) to celebrate what it calls the first commercial deal for a pet dog.
Commercial cloning service
Ra said Booger's case opens the way for global commercial cloning services for pet lovers since the success rate for dogs is high.
He said his company could clone up to 300 dogs next year for wealthy animal lovers in the US and elsewhere.
The RNL Bio CEO said he will contest claims by a US dog cloning firm, BioArts International, that it is infringing on its patent.
Ra said the university would undertake an ethical review of his firm's business to prevent indiscreet cloning.
"For my next project, I will consider cloning camels for rich people in the Middle East," he said.
Source: AFP/SBS
