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Bernann McKinney wanted lots of Boogers. Fortunately, Seoul-based company RNL Bio could provide her with all the Boogers her heart desired. McKinney will donate two of the five new Boogers to work as service dogs...The Booger in question was McKinney’s pit bull, who died of cancer in 2006. The company in question cloned new Booger puppies using frozen Booger cells, according to CNN.
McKinney will donate two of the five new Boogers to work as service dogs but plans to hang on to the other three Boogers. In the end, CNN reports that McKinney spent $50,000 to have the clones created. She’s quoted as saying, “Yes, I know you! You know me, too!” when holding the new puppies.
This leads me to wonder: if I had $50,000, would I clone my dog? Upon conceptualizing that question, my almost-immediate response was a firm, “Oh hell no.”
Here’s why:
- Every one of my dogs has been crazy in one way or another. One ate frogs and toads, one was at one second sweet and at the other a spawn of Satan, and my current dog refuses to enter particular rooms in my house unless he backs into them. I don’t want to duplicate any of that craziness, not just because it can be annoying, but because that’s something that’s special about dogs: they each carry with them their own brand of crazy. And enjoying the craziness in any particular dog is an important part of your relationship with that dog.
- $50,000?
- It’s always interesting to get to know different breeds of dogs. I grew up with golden retrievers (kind, gentle, but protective) and toy poodles (protective…of themselves). In many ways, the two were complete opposites. Since then, I’ve owned a treeing Walker coonhound (the aforementioned obsessive-compulsive canine) and learned that another great part of owning different dogs is learning the differences between the breeds.
- Seriously. $50,000?!?
- Perhaps most importantly, there are shelters everywhere that have dogs that need a good home. Adopting a dog from a shelter is a fantastic way to find a new companion, rather than spending $50,000 to get clones of old Fido.
- Did I mention that this lady spent $50,000 to get clones of her dog?
While I understand the attachment people often have to their canine companions as well as the desire to keep them around, the fact of the matter is that there are other dogs in the world that need adopting – dogs that will reward you as much as those you may think are irreplaceable.
Being able to clone animals like dogs may be helpful in scientific research, and McKinney should be commended for spending her own money to create dogs intended to assist the handicapped. However, while I appreciate her efforts, I hope that cloning pets does not become a regular practice for those who become too attached to their four-legged companions. After all, there are plenty of shelters with dogs and cats looking for a good home.
[CNN]
Branden Hart, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
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