California family spends $50,000 to clone dog that saved their lives


SAN DIEGO, California (WJW) - Any dog owner knows that hardest thing about having one is that they don't live long enough.

So when it came time for David and Alicia Tschirhart to say goodbye to their beloved lab, Marley, they weren't ready.

The couple credits the dog with saving their life on a hike back in 2014, KGTV reports

Marley was 12 at the time and chased a rattlesnake away from Alicia, who was about four months pregnant. The family reached out to a company called ViaGen Pets to have Marley cloned, according to KGTV.

They now have a dog named Ziggy who has very similar traits as Marley.

"They have the same personality, they play the same, they favor the same toys," Alicia told KGTV.

The company lists pet cloning prices at $50,000 for dogs and $35,000 for cats.

The Tschirhart family said it was worth every penny.