Trakr, the hero rescue dog who sniffed out survivors from the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11, has won a competition to be cloned. The German Shepherd was picked as the “most clone-worthy” dog in a contest presenting dog owners with an opportunity to clone their pet, free of charge by the California company BioArts International. Trakr and his owner James Symington were among the first search and rescue teams to arrive on the smoldering site of Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. The pair also found the last human survivor at the scene of the disaster, located under 30 feet of wreckage.

Trakr, now aged 15, lives with Symington in Los Angeles. He has lost the use of his hind legs due to a degenerative nerve condition, which some experts believe may be linked to the smoke he inhaled while working at Ground Zero. His DNA will be sent off to Sooam Biotech Research Foundation Laboratory in South Korea, a partner of BioArts International, to be cloned. The cloned version of Trakr could be ready by the end of this year. “Trakr means the world to me,” Trakr’s owner Symington said. “To know that part of him is going to live on is just beyond words. It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received.”

You can takepart in assisting other victims of the 9/11 attacks and their families by logging onto 911families.org.

LINKS:

UPI: Sept. 11 Rescue Dog to be Cloned

AFP: 9/11 canine hero to be cloned: California lab

NY Daily News: WTC Hero Police Dog to be Cloned