A British couple who paid £67,000 to clone their dead dog say the process was a good use of their money because it kept alive memories of the times they shared with him.
Laura Jacques and Richard Remde spent the NZ$147,000 to have cells from their boxer Dylan, who died of a brain tumour last year, made into two identical puppies by South Korean scientists.
Ms Jaques told Sky News she shared a "special bond" with Dylan.
"Dylan was such a special dog - he was my first dog and I had him all through my 20s.
"We lost him unexpectedly. He was given six to 18 months to live, within 19 days he died," she says.
The couple wanted to freeze his DNA, but the cells "weren't strong enough" so they decided to clone him instead.
But she insists getting the procedure done isn't about replacing the dog but rather "a reminder of him, so I have still got a piece of Dylan, for his memory to live on".
"Other people might choose to spend their money on different things but this is how we have chosen to spend ours."
Dylan's cells were sent to South Korean Sooam Biotech Research Foundation where enough DNA was extracted to create two puppies.
The North Yorkshire couple have named the twins Chance and Shadow.
The puppies have to stay in quarantine until they're seven months old and the couple plan to visit them in the meantime.
3 News
