Two Cloned Boxer Puppies Look Like Dad and Are Named Chance and Shadow

Summary: The births of two cloned boxer puppies, named Chance and Shadow, make scientific history with DNA samples extracted 12 days after their dad's death.

Dylan passed away in June: Dylan Dog @WeLovedDylan via Twitter Dec. 6, 2015

West Yorkshire couple Laura Jacques and Richard Remde are happily celebrating births of two cloned boxer puppies, born two days apart, Saturday, Dec. 26, and Monday, Dec. 28, and making scientific history with DNA extracted 12 days after their dad’s death.

David Kim, a scientist at Sooam, notes the milestone in cloning history: “This is the first case we have had where cells have been taken from a dead dog after a very long time. Hopefully it will allow us to extend the time after death that we can take cells for cloning.”

At Sooam, the newborn cloned puppies are tagged as 746 and 747. Jacques and Remde name Dylan’s cloned offspring after characters in Jacques’ favorite movie, Disney’s Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. The firstborn of the two cloned boxer puppies, 746, is named Chance after the film’s rambunctious American bulldog. The second is named Shadow, after the film’s wise Golden Retriever.

Chance and Shadow are currently under quarantine at Sooam. Jacques and Remde are looking forward to welcoming the two cloned boxer puppies into their Silsden home in July 2016. They hope to provide continuity for the two cloned boxer puppies by adopting their surrogate mothers. The canine additions will join four other dogs and 11 other animals on the self-described “dog-mad” and “animal-mad” couple’s property.

The couple sees resemblances in markings between the two cloned boxer puppies and their DNA dad, Dylan, Jacques’ first dog. Jacques describes witnessing Chance’s caesarean birth:

“After they got him out I still couldn’t quite believe it had happened. But once he started making noises I knew it was real. Even as a puppy of just a few minutes old I can’t believe how much he looks like Dylan. All the colourings and patterns on his body are in exactly the same places as Dylan had them.”

Diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, Dylan is given six to 18 months to live. Eighteen days after his diagnosis, 8-year-old Dylan dies unexpectedly of a heart attack.

While grieving, Jacques learns about Sooam Biotech Research Foundation’s commercial dog cloning service through “The £60,000 Puppy,” a 2014 game show on Channel 4 hosting a competition on behalf of Sooam for Britain’s first cloned dog.

First DNA samples taken from Dylan do not take. Second DNA samples are taken from Dylan 12 days after his death. Prior to Dylan, the turnaround time between death and DNA extraction usually is five days.

DNA from the second samples is inserted into eggs with no nucleus. The eggs are implanted into two surrogate mother dogs. Successful pregnancies are established in both mothers.

Sooam Biotech Research Foundation houses the only commercial dog-cloning laboratory in the world. The South Korean firm is credited with commercial production of more than 700 dogs. The current fee for the procedure is £67,000 ($100,000).

The two cloned boxer puppies both have births linked with Boxing Day, the holiday traditionally celebrated in Commonwealth nations the day after Christmas, on Dec. 26. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday serves as a substitute bank holiday. The first of the two cloned boxer puppies is brought into the world by caesarean section Saturday, Dec. 26. The surrogate for the second of the two cloned boxer puppies goes into labor one day ahead of scheduled birth Tuesday, Dec. 29. The second cloned boxer puppy has a natural birth Monday, Dec. 28, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday.

The couple is documenting the progress of their two cloned boxer puppies through a Twitter account, WeLovedDylan, created Dec. 6. After Chance’s caesarean birth, Jacques remembers Dylan, who now lives on through two cloned boxer puppies: “I had had Dylan since he was a puppy. I mothered him so much, he was my baby, my child, my entire world.”

(left to right) Richard Remde, Dr Hwang Woo-Suk and Laura Jacques: Dylan Dog‏ @WeLovedDylan via Twitter Dec. 26, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Dylan passed away in June: Dylan Dog @WeLovedDylan via Twitter Dec. 6, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/673587026151763968

(left to right) Richard Remde, Dr Hwang Woo-Suk and Laura Jacques: Dylan Dog‏ @WeLovedDylan via Twitter Dec. 26, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/680776488170426368

For further information:

Dylan Dog @WeLovedDylan. 6 December 2015. "Hello, I'm Dylan the #Boxer dog and I've got a bit of a story to tell you." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/673587026151763968

Dylan Dog @WeLovedDylan. 26 December 2015. "And they called it #PuppyLove." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/680788925074554881

Dylan Dog‏ @WeLovedDylan. 26 December 2015. "#PuppyLove The pack of humans that helped my #Chance get born Richard and Laura /w Dr Hwang Woo-Suk @SooamBiotech." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/680776488170426368

Dylan Dog @WeLovedDylan. 29 December 2015. "#PuppyLove. See? Here is my little ones on VIDEO in @guardian." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/WeLovedDylan/status/681959611059073025

Inside Edition. 29 December 2015. "Couple Gets Two Puppies After Spending $100,000 To Clone Deceased Dog." YouTube.
Available @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ7lmWZEfw4

Taylor, Diane. 28 December 2015. "British couple overjoyed at birth of second cloned puppy." The Guardian > Science.
Available @ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/dec/28/second-cloned-puppy-birth-british-couple-overjoyed

Taylor, Diane, and Met Haywood. 23 December 2015. "How we cloned our dead boxer dog Dylan - video." The Guardian > Science.
Available @ http://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2015/dec/23/how-we-cloned-our-dead-boxer-dog-dylan-video