Technology has truly come a long way. Not only does technology make our lives easier, but it can also make life longer, so to speak. Cloning is one of the ways to do this, and though this is not yet approved for humans, animals have been cloned left and right since the technology became available.
One great application for this technology is to clone our deceased dogs. Our pet pups are almost the perfect companions, but one big problem we have with them is the fact that their lifespan is shorter than ours. But for David and Alicia Tschirhart, they lost their dog unexpectedly, but technology is here to save the day.
Back in 2014, the Tschirharts were hiking up Battle Mountain in Nevada with their trusty yellow Labrador, Marley. Alicia, who was four months pregnant at the time, wandered off the trail for a little bit to find a walking stick. When she found one, she was so locked in on the stick that she didn’t notice the rattlesnake right beside it.
Luckily for her, Marley was right behind her. Before the snake could do anything, Marley pounced on the reptile, which unfortunately cost him his life. Four years later, the Tschirharts heard about ViaGen, a tech company based in California, that is offering to clone any animal for $50,000.
Yes, it’s quite a price tag, but David explained that Marley meant so much to them, they had to do it. They wanted Marley back in a sense, so they had him cloned. When the process was done, Ziggy was born. They look exactly alike, and they have the same personality.
Alicia shared that she believes they are pretty much the same dog. Ziggy even likes the same toys that Marley did when he was still around. It may seem financially irresponsible, but after we’ve heard what Marley did for the Tschirhart family, we completely understand why they had to do it.
Credits: CBS 17
