Woman Orders Clone of Beloved Dog for $150K

Korean company says it's the first commercial order for a cloned canine
By Jim O'Neill,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2008 10:57 AM CST
Woman Orders Clone of Beloved Dog for $150K
Lee Byeong-Chun (C) a veterinary professor of Seoul National University, and his researchers show three female genetically identical Afghan Hound clones: Bona (L), Hope (C) and Peace (R) at the university's Veterinary School on December 18, 2006 in Seoul, South Korea. Lee, a former key collaborator...   (Getty Images)

A California woman has placed the first order for a cloned dog with South Korean biotech firm RNL Bio, pledging $150,000 for a genetic duplicate of her dead pitbull, Booger, who once saved her from a dog attack, reports the BBC. Seoul National University scientists, who produced the first cloned canine in 2005, will use tissue from Booger’s ear.

It’s the first time a dog has been cloned for commercial use. The company says it can produce 30 dogs a year but expects to be able to deliver 200 a year by 2010, dropping the price as cloning technology improves to less than $50,000 per puppy. The Korean Customs service is planning to order cloned drug-sniffing dogs from RNL. (Read more cloning stories.)

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