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A man who cloned his beloved cocker spaniel after she passed away in 2016 is opening up about his decision to clone her. <\/p>\n
Tom Rubython<\/strong>\u2018s world was rocked when his beloved dog Daisy tested positive for cancer. He\u2019d had her since 2003 and described her as intuitive and closely tuned to his emotions while speaking to Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew this was going to be a problem,\u201d he said about the prospect of losing his love. While researching answers to the dilemma, he and some coworkers stumbled upon Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, a Seoul, South Korea company that clones dogs. <\/p>\n In secret, Rubython<\/strong> went through the process of cloning Daisy, ending up with two dogs that bear her exact genetic DNA \u2014 Myrtle and Mabel. <\/p>\n He didn\u2019t even tell his wife at the time. Now, he\u2019s speaking candidly about how much the procedure cost, how he financed it and what his wife thought when she finally learned the truth. <\/p>\n Keep reading to find out more\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Rubython<\/strong> dropped nearly $108,000 to clone Daisy. <\/p>\n \u201cI had two nice Mercedes sports cars at the time, and I sold both of them, which was just about enough,\u201d he told Telegraph. \u201cI thought, \u2018You have your dogs, you have cars \u2013 which is more important? Which do you get more pleasure out of?\u2019 And I decided it was dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n After Daisy\u2019s death, Rubython<\/strong> had to keep her body cold but not frozen to preserve the DNA. A scientist from South Korea came to extract the necessary DNA. <\/p>\n The dog owner paid for one clone, but the company offers a second \u201cfor nothing\u201d just in case the first doesn\u2019t take. <\/p>\n Cloning is not a guaranteed process, per the outlet. However, Rubython<\/strong> wound up with two dogs who were born via surrogate within approximately nine weeks.<\/p>\n Rubython<\/strong> was there to bring the puppies home after they were born. <\/p>\n Myrtle and Mabel were in quarantine for eight months before he could bring them home. When he did, he had to tell his wife about the decision. <\/p>\n Through some creative truth telling, he\u2019d managed to keep the secret from her that whole time, since he knew \u201cshe\u2019d have been absolutely against it.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cShe said it was like being robbed, without anyone having to hold a gun or wear a mask,\u201d he admitted. <\/p>\n Despite her concerns \u2014 and her claim that the lab duped her husband \u2014 Rubython<\/strong> said \u201cshe adapted pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what the dog dad thinks about his cloned pets, he says, \u201cIt\u2019s not Daisy, but it is.\u201d <\/p>\n They don\u2019t look exactly alike, and their mannerisms are different, with Rubython<\/strong> saying they\u2019re \u201ceven more loving.\u201d <\/p>\n Looking back, he explained his decision. <\/p>\n \u201cThe aftermath of Daisy dying was easier for me because I knew we were having this done \u2013 I\u2019m certain of that,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n Responding to critics, he said that their thoughts are \u201cvalid.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cReally, the correct moral thing is to go to a rescue and rescue a dog, and not have one cloned. You can\u2019t argue with that. But it\u2019s probably immoral to buy a yacht \u2013 you should take the money and give it to the poor,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cWe live in a very amoral society, where [there are] lots of things, silly things, we spend our money on.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, a woman opened up about why she had some regrets<\/a> about cloning her dog, which cost her much less than what Rubython <\/strong>paid. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n