Trakr Cloned. No, It's Not One of Sarah Palin's Kids.

Katherine Mangu-Ward | June 18, 2009

The California company BioArts announced yesterday that it had cloned Trakr, a 9-11 canine hero, with the help of South Korean cloning specialist Hwang Woo-Suk (who has caused some controversy by saying that he could totally clone Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, or Trig if he felt like it).

Trakr's owner, who won a contest sponsored by the cloning company, said:

"They're identical—down to the smallest detail. Few dogs are born with exceptional abilities—Trakr was one of those dogs. And if these puppies have the same attributes as Trakr, I plan on putting them into search and rescue so they can help people the way Trakr did."

It may be a marketing gimmick, but it's not a vanity project. The usual suspects are freaking out, but coverage has been overwhelmingly positive. After all, what could possibly win more hearts and minds over to the cause of cloning than five adorable hero puppies?

Read Greg Beato on cloning dogs for love and profit.

Comments

|6.18.09 @ 11:23AM|#

Few dogs are born with exceptional abilities-Trakr was one of those dogs.

Yeah, but can he place defendants at the scene of a crime six months after the fact? I thought not.

|6.18.09 @ 11:25AM|#

Cute puppies.

Graham|6.18.09 @ 11:27AM|#

"Cute puppies."

How quickly these threads devolve into a discussion about tits. Very sad.

WWJGD|6.18.09 @ 11:36AM|#

"saying that he could totally clone Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, or Trig if he felt like it"

And we're worried about Kim Jong-Il?

This is, hands-down, the greatest threat ever issued to America.

..|6.18.09 @ 11:37AM|#

It's Not One of Sarah Palin's Kids

KMW--bless your little heart, and I know you try--but you're just not very funny. Or more charitably, you're funny like the jokes that David Letterman throws away are funny. Sorry.

|6.18.09 @ 11:39AM|#

I ignored the Palin comments in hopes the thread wouldn't be highjacked.,

|6.18.09 @ 11:48AM|#

Trig if he felt like it

Why would you clone a retard?

I still want credit for my 4.5 kids joke.

|6.18.09 @ 12:01PM|#

Fuck you epi, that is nasty. I have said this on other threads and will say it again. I have a sister who is retarded. And she has never stolen from anyone. Worked every day of her life. And best of all never dreamed up any hair brained schemes to loot the government and tell everyone how to live. Frankly, we would be better off cloning her than the entire faculty of any elite college you can name.

|6.18.09 @ 12:15PM|#

Lighten up, Franc...John. Yes, it is nasty--that's the point. I've refrained from making a joke about your sister.

|6.18.09 @ 12:18PM|#

"Yes, it is nasty--that's the point. I've refrained from making a joke about your sister."

Fair enough. I actually like the Palin kids, strange names and all. They are nothing if not an affront to uptight white people. I like that.

|6.18.09 @ 12:25PM|#

Hero puppies?

I've had a sense recently that the term "hero" is overused. This confirms it.

|6.18.09 @ 12:30PM|#

Hero puppies?


Haven't you ever heard of Happy Scrappy Hero Pup?

|6.18.09 @ 12:49PM|#

Is that them in the photo? I'll ask the obvious question. Why are they all different?

Look at the markings on the chest of the 3 you can see (adult and two puppies). Wouldn't a clone have exactly the same markings?

Kyle Jordan|6.18.09 @ 1:19PM|#

"Haven't you ever heard of Happy Scrappy Hero Pup?"

One of the best scenes in the history of fiction.

And this brings me one step closer to my Ultimate Harem of clones. I'm all for it!

|6.18.09 @ 1:29PM|#

"One of the best scenes in the history of fiction."

No one, no matter how uptight or holy, could watch that scene and not crack up. The Pope couldn't watch that scene and not laugh.

|6.18.09 @ 1:30PM|#

And lets get on those Sofia Loren and Anita Ekberg cloning projects before its too late.

Mister DNA|6.18.09 @ 2:16PM|#

To commemorate this historic event of cloning hero puppies, all Quizno's in Korea are offering Puppy Heroes for $1.99.

Syd|6.18.09 @ 2:20PM|#

greg | June 18, 2009, 12:49pm | #
Is that them in the photo? I'll ask the obvious question. Why are they all different?

Look at the markings on the chest of the 3 you can see (adult and two puppies). Wouldn't a clone have exactly the same markings?

No, similar but not identical. Apparently there are random and enviromental factors in the womb as well as the genetic programming. These pups look a lot more like their mother than Copycat looks like hers.

|6.18.09 @ 2:41PM|#

In Soviet Russia, all dogs are Trakr!

|6.18.09 @ 2:42PM|#

If they're truly cloned, why aren't their markings absolutely identical? Wouldn't their markings be identical if they were cloned? How do they explain that?

|6.18.09 @ 3:39PM|#

Trakr Cloned. No, It's Not One of Sarah Palin's Kids.

*snicker*

JB|6.18.09 @ 3:42PM|#

Can I get my own Sarah Palin?

Syd|6.18.09 @ 4:03PM|#

mlaiuppa: Do you read anyone else's comments than your own?

Hugh Akston|6.19.09 @ 12:06AM|#

KMW--bless your little heart, and I know you try--but you're just not very funny. Or more charitably, you're funny like the jokes that David Letterman throws away are funny. Sorry.

In Katherine's defense. I have yet to ever hear/see/read a funny joke about Sarah Palin. I'm not sure such a monster exists. Even places I normally go for fairly solid humor make me roll my eyes and scroll quickly through.