We recently finished reading Dog, Inc. by John Woestendiek, a fascinating tale (no pun intended) detailing the history of dog cloning. While you may think this could be a dry subject, it is anything but. With the exception of a few portions which detail the intense rivalry between 2 competing companies racing to be the first to complete the task, the book reads like a novel.
Some of the most interesting sections of the book cover the stories of the individuals who were peripherally involved in spurring the process along. Their personal reasons and stories give a a very different perspective to an otherwise technical corporate undertaking.
You’ve probably heard of Dolly, the first cloned sheep. This is the story of Snuppy, Booger, Missy, Trackr, and Chance. It’s an objective report of the long history of developing the first dog clone, including the moral and ethical questions raised in the process.
Woestendiek opens each chapter with an appropriate quote for the material contained in each section. Some of our favorites:
- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change- Clarence Darrow
- To his dog, every man is Napoplean; hence the constant popularity of dogs- Aldous Huxley
- It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog- Mark Twain
- When a man’s best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.- Edward Abbey
- Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction- old cowboy saying
- Inside of me are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. Which dog wins? The one I feed the most- Anonymous
- A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barkr. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker- The Buddha
- What is a dog anyway? Simply an antidote for an inferiority complex- W.C. Fields
- Pity the poor animals. They bear more than their natural burden of human love- George Bernard Shaw
Related articles
- South Korea’s Pet Clone Wars (time.com)
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