A woman has spent £40,000 cloning her dead dog – and now has three identical versions of her deceased "best friend".
Francesa Geertsma was left devastated after her dog Osa, 16, passed away in January 2019 from canine cognitive disorder – commonly known as dog dementia.
Mourning the death of her pet – who was dubbed a “super mutt” due to her mix of five different breeds – the retired paediatrician explored the idea of cloning.
Specialists took tissue from Osa’s ear just days after her death, which were later thawed in April 2020 in a bid for cells to grow from the tissue.
When the cells were grown, specialists swapped the nucleus of a donor canine egg with the frozen cells to produce an embryo and put it in a surrogate dog.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
In September 2020, after being promised a clone of Osa, Francesca, in her 50s, from Florida, US, was delighted when three embryos developed and she was handed three spitting images of her beloved pooch.
Now 18-months-old, Francesca says clones Osana, Osaki and Osani were worth every penny.
She said: "I'm so happy – they are identical to my Osa in appearance. Our girls are a joy. They are Osa and more to me now.
"I must admit three clones turned out to be more work and stress than I had planned for, but ultimately it was a blessing.
"It's amazing to see them play together. When Osa got dog dementia and her arthritis worsened, I knew it was time.
"The thought of losing such an amazing dog was so unthinkable to me and I decided to revisit the idea of cloning only a few months before her death.
"They are of course different from her in many ways – she was more aloof than they are. They love to be cuddled and are not averse to being held for long periods.
"But when you least expect it, a little mannerism you had forgotten about shows up.
"The way the sleep on their backs with their front legs resting against a wall, the strangle noises they make when they are grooming, the way they like to lay down on your foot when you are seated – it's just like Osa.
"From very early on we noticed differences in their personalities. We assigned colours to them in order to tell them apart as their physical appearances are so similar."
Although happy with her decision, Francesca says pet owners looking into cloning should be aware it will not be an exact cardboard cut-out of their departed pooch.
She added: "I had learned about cloning in the 1990’s as I have a science background.
"I decided to investigate the status of pet cloning around 2005 when Osa was still very young and we had just learnt about her DNA make-up.
"There were five identifiable breeds. She was part Chow Chow, German Shepard, Collie, and two types of Mastiff.
"I knew she was very special and I thought that her genetic makeup would make it close to impossible to find a similar dog.
"But others looking into it have to be aware the clone will not be a reincarnation of your former pet.
"Environmental factors play a significant role in shaping behaviour. This is something that will be different for your clone than it was for your original dog.
"The most you can hope for beyond the physical similarity, is the potential to develop some of the traits that made your original dog so special to you.
"You will, though, see glimpses of familiar behaviours that will help to solidify new connections with this unique creature.
"Most of the arguments regarding decreased life span and poor health are based on older technologies and data as well as heresy.
"I'm so glad I got it done. It was worth every penny."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
