British couple welcomes second cloned puppy

A British couple now has not one, but two puppies cloned from the DNA of their beloved deceased dog.

Laura Jacques, 29, and Richard Remde 43, of Yorkshire, England, welcomed the first cloned puppy, named Chance, on Dec. 26, according to CBS.  The second puppy, Shadow, was born on Dec. 27 in South Korea, The Guardian reported.

Jacques told the Guardian that witnessing Chance’s birth was “surreal.”

“After they got him out I still couldn’t quite believe it had happened,” she told The Guardian. “Even as a puppy of just a few minutes old I can’t believe how much he looks like Dylan. All the colorings and patterns on his body are in exactly the same places as Dylan had them.”

In June, the couple paid nearly $100,000 to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea to have the puppies cloned from Dylan’s DNA, which was sent to the facility two weeks after his death, according to CBS. While there are no regulations on cloning pets, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told The Guardian the practice is "concerning."

“There are serious ethical and welfare concerns relating to the application of cloning technology to animals,"  the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement, according to The Guardian.

Jacques and Remde have been posting updates on the puppies' births from the Twitter account @WeLovedDylan. The couple posted a picture with the caption "very happy humans" following the birth of the second puppy on Dec. 27.

“I had had Dylan since he was a puppy,” she said. “I mothered him so much, he was my baby, my child, my entire world.”

They hope to bring both of the puppies home after the quarantine period has ended next July, The Guardian reported.

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.