Strange

Lancelot Encore: Dog Clone of Beloved Yellow Lab Costs $155,000

by Tina Kells | January 28, 2009 at 02:36 pm

2914 views | 3 Recommendations | 7 comments

A couple in Boca Raton, Florida has paid $155,000 to have a clone made of their beloved pet dog Lancelot, a yellow lab. The dog clone was created using DNA from the original Lancelot who died of cancer in 2008.

The yellow lab clone was created by BioArts International in South Korea as part of the company's Best Friends Again division and was born 10 weeks ago. The cloned puppy was totally healthy and is expected to live a long and happy life.

Called Lancelot Encore the new cloned dog will look exactly like his DNA donor. Only time will tell if Lancelot Encore will act just like the original Lancelot as well.

View Lancelot Encore's official birth announcement (PDF) from BioArts International and Best Friends Again.

Nina and Edgar Otto picked up their cloned yellow lab puppy at the Miami International Airport Monday night. Lancelot Encore was cloned from the DNA of the Ottos' late dog Lancelot, which died of cancer in January 2008. Guessing that pet cloning would one day be possible, the Ottos had DNA samples of their dog frozen five years ago.

The Ottos paid $155,000 in a San Francisco biotech firm's dog-cloning auction last July.

BioArts International created Lancelot Encore in South Korea, where he was born 10 weeks ago. The Ottos say he's the first single-birth, commercially cloned puppy in the United States.

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harley883

at 17:15 on January 28th, 2009

Wow I never really realized that you could clone a dog. I myself love my yellow labrador Segar like the Florida couple love's their Lancelot. I have had Segar since he was a puppy and he is now 13 1/2 years old. Over a year ago my husband and I starting facing the hard facts our lab was getting old, getting arthritis and he couln't live forever. We looked for quite sometime until we thought we found the right puppy well we couldn't decide between a brother and sister and ended up with both. We love all three of our yellow labs and we adore each of them for their different personalities! I guess I want to always remember Segar for Segar and cherish his memories because he is one great awesome dog!

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abebis19

at 01:44 on January 29th, 2009

I Have a Lab ... A choco one. Not for long. He is 2 years old. I think that there is no way he can be replaced even from his own DNA. The character and reactions of the dog still won't be the same ... Cause he won't grow up exactly the same way ...! So the only thing i would've accomplished would, be to miss him even more!

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Jordan Yerman

at 05:15 on January 29th, 2009

If life is going to imitate an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, then at least go for the far-superior Total Recall, rather than The Seventh Day.

JOSE RAMON AVINA

at 09:13 on January 29th, 2009

I heard that a couple of elders paid over $150,000 dollars to clone a Yellow Labrador.
This photo was taken December 25, 2008, and the Puppy's name is RAMSES THE GREAT and He belongs to my sister Annie Avina and her Husband Joshua Rivera.

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Ken Westermann

at 10:13 on January 29th, 2009

Just a photo I took of my best friend, Higbie...the happy yellow lab

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photographicleigh

at 17:04 on January 29th, 2009

I certainly understand the desire to clone the "perfect" labrador retriever. My dog, Camden, is almost 8 years old and he has a priceless personality. Though I will never be able to spend $155,000, I will miss Camden terribly when he leaves us.

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RobinIN (not verified)

at 11:08 on February 8th, 2009

Boy people are really getting sucked into this garbage of cloning and taken for a ride.... How can they honestly believe they will get any of the same qualities their beloved yellow lab offered... This pup just will not ever be the same as their first nor have the same abilities unless trained all over again. Honestly... society needs to wake up to getting taken for a ride... 20 years from now I wonder what we will all be saying... I wish I would've given my money to the homeless!