The Dog Clones

I just read an article that strikes me as so wrong on so many levels that I just don't know where to start. It seems that there is a company in South Korea that is touting itself as the first successful canine cloning service, and their first success is a litter of Booger's puppies. Okay, after I got over my inner 12-year-old snickering over sentences in that article like, "Booger is back" and "...when she saw the cloned Boogers...," I started thinking about the ways in which this struck me as wrong, and without going into a detailed theological, moral, and ethical discussion here, my main thoughts were, not necessarily in this order:

1--Isn't this a bit like playing God?
2--Even if one is not prone to religious belief, there is still the question of whether the cloned animal is identical to the original. Sure, its DNA is identical, but what about the dog's spirit? There is no way to clone that. If I decided to clone Dougal or Sitka, I might end up with puppies that LOOK identical to Dougal and Sitka, but they wouldn't really BE Dougal and Sitka. They would not possess the same spirit and soul as Dougal and Sitka.
3--It's just messing with the natural order of things. I still miss my dear pets who have passed on, but cloning them would not bring them back. See #2.
4--What would St. Francis of Assisi say?
5--The woman paid $50,000 to clone Booger. Think of how much GOOD that money could have done, in Booger's memory, to any number of shelters. Booger was a Pit bull. She could have rescued a Pit bull or three, and given the money to Pit bull rescue.

Well, I suppose it's her money to dispose of however she wishes, but it strikes me as so delusional. And I thought I was bad over my pets!

Today's Parenting Tip from the Mountain Witch and Her Darling Czech Pecker: Well, since I'm on the subject of animals, I suppose I'll go in that direction. I think a lot of people will agree with me that kids and pets just belong together. Sometimes, I'll hear stories of major asshattery from friends and acquaintances who work or have worked in cat and dog rescue of people who are ready to turn that beloved and loyal furry companion in to a shelter as soon as the EPT test comes back with two lines indicating that a human baby will be joining the family. Suddenly, Kitty or Fido are no longer considered important members of the family. In my opinion, this is a heinous way to act and lowers one's human dignity. While I understand that circumstances may arise once the baby is here that necessitate finding a new GOOD home for Kitty or Fido, such as discovering the baby has severe allergies, merely finding out that one is knocked up is not good enough. Kitty and Fido can be prepared for the new addition, and they often make superb older "siblings." When I found out I was expecting my oldest spawn of Satan, Rebekah, and I started to show, my cat, Boo Kitty, who had always slept at the foot of our bed, suddenly started sleeping curled up next to my abdomen. He seemed to sense what was happening. He was fascinated with Rebekah once she arrived, and he loved to spend time with her...until she opened her mouth to wail. Then he would take off like a bat out of hell to hide under the bed or in a closet. Many were the days that I desired to join him.

At any rate, my mom now raises Siberian Huskies, and I have several of the snow dogs myself. My snow dogs are all spayed and neutered, but my mom breeds hers. They are not cloned, either! As you might imagine, life becomes quite lively at her house, especially around whelping time or when any of the females go into heat. And THIS is what brings up my main topic for today...what my kids, now 11 and nearly 9, have witnessed. I know a few folks who are very strict and think it would be "inappropriate" and "gross" to allow their precious darlings to witness a female dog giving birth. It brings up any number of questions, don't you know. However, my children have asked to be present, and yes, I have allowed it. And you know what? Not only are they not scarred from the experience, they have benefitted from helping out in numerous ways, by running errands for my mom, by getting fresh water for the laboring mom, and if a newborn puppy crawls too far away from its mama, by helping it get closer to its food source. Husky moms are very gentle, and they know us well, so they allow us to handle their pups, even from the beginning. The kids know how to handle the newborn pups as well as we adults do.

This has been a learning experience for the children, a chance to witness furry little miracles, to see the not-so-clean-and-pretty beginning and to appreciate the instincts and innate intelligence of the dogs we raise and love so very well. It adds another dimension to the kids' appreciation for the Huskies.

And as for the mating part, have they witnessed that? Well, yes, but it wasn't intentional. It's not like we said, "Hey kids! Let's go watch Prancer and Maya get it on!" Dogs, as we know, are not so particular about where they do the nasty. It's not as if they plan it out, deciding to rent a hotel room or anything. The male senses the female in heat, the female swishes her tale to lure the male to her, and then...well, you can guess the rest. Two of my mom's dogs, Prancer and Tasha, seem to have the exhibitionist streak in them. They will wait until they are OUTSIDE of the kennel, in the main yard, go down by the fence next to the road, then hook up, where anyone driving by can see them. So, as you can imagine, the kids have seen it. The first time J.P. saw this, he couldn't stop laughing, he said it looked so funny.

I agree. It IS rather funny business. And while I didn't add this thought to him, it's really quite a funny business for humans, too, when you stop and think about it!