Retired US cop receives free clones of 9/11 search dog

[TonyGosling]

Retired police officer receives free clones of 9-11 search dog

Retired police officer James Symington, owner of the late search and rescue dog and 9-11 hero, Trakr, will receive five cloned puppies later today from BioArts International, a Northern California biotech company that offers commercial pet cloning services.

Symington won the “Golden Clone Giveaway” contest sponsored by BioArts International last year, by writing to the company and explaining why Trakr was an ideal candidate for cloning. The company’s other clients have paid an average of $144,000 to duplicate their canines but Symington will receive his puppies for free.


James Symington with his cloned pups and Lou Hawthorn of BioArts International.

Trakr is credited with hundreds of arrests and recovered more than $1 million in stolen goods during his career as a police search-and-rescue dog. Symington, a police officer at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, arrived with Trakr at Ground Zero as one of the first K-9 search and rescue teams on the scene. There, under horrific conditions, Trakr located the last human survivor to be found in the rubble.

For his heroic efforts, Trakr was presented with an extraordinary service to humanity award by Dr. Jane Goodall, United Nations “Messenger of Peace,” and was featured in books and magazines dedicated to 9-11 heroes including Dog World and In the Line of Duty.

I interviewed Symington in late 2007 for a story on hospice care for dogs. At the time, he was struggling with Trakr’s deteriorating health.

For Los Angeles resident James Symington, premature euthanasia is not an option for Trakr, his retired search-and-rescue police dog.

The German shepherd was one of the first on the scene after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks looking for survivors in the smoldering rubble....

http://trueslant.com/maryannmott/2009/06/17/9-11-search-dog-cloned/