This really just gets more and more bizarre.

So, after selling her house to scrape up the $50,000 needed to clone her long-dead pitbull Booger, getting herself to South Korea for the birth of the five puppies, and then admitting that she is the same Joyce Bernann McKinney that kidnapped and raped a Mormon missionary in the 70’s, Bernann McKinney has left South Korea without the cloned puppies.

She’s apparently on the lam yet again after being identified as the mastermind behind a 2004 burglary plot in Tennessee. She supposedly got a 15-year old boy to break into a house to steal some money so she could… get her three-legged horse a prosthetic leg. She was arrested but skipped out on her court date and her lawyer hasn’t heard from her since.

The biotech company that cloned the dogs said she’ll be back sometime in November for the dogs, though there were reports earlier this week that she’d already left the country with at least one of the puppies.

Post from: Blisstree

Bernann McKinney: Stranger Than Fiction

So maybe it’s not so weird after all that the woman who paid for the first commercial pet cloning shelled out so much to have it done: she may have a history of not being able to let go!

She raised some interest this past week not just for the cloning of her dog Booger, but because she bears a striking resemblance (and name) to a woman who kidnapped a Mormon missionary in the 70s and held him against his will for a few days in the UK.

Joyce McKinney was a softcore porn model that jumped bail after being arrested for the kidnapping, though when she was later found in the US the UK failed to extradite her. Bernann McKinney says that while she bears a striking resemblance to Joyce McKinney that the story is trash.

The mouth and the eyes are very distinct – I definitely think it’s her. What do you think?

Updated to add: McKinney has admitted to being one and the same.

Post from: Blisstree

The Cloned Pet Caper

Five puppies born from the skin cells of “Booger” the pit bull terrier made their debut as the first ever commercially cloned pets at the Seoul National University in Korea this week.

“Booger,” who died in April 2006, belonged to California resident Bernann McKinney. McKinney, who rescued Booger 12 years ago, said the dog had become an indispensable part of her life and that she chose to have Booger cloned because “losing a pet is a terrible, terrible loss to anyone.”

The five puppies, whose names all contain the word “Booger,” cost McKinney $50,000, which she sold her house to raise.

While I know the loss of a pet is devastating, I hope I’m not the only one who thinks this story is, to be kind, stupid. $50,000 and your house, for puppies? Especially given that while the animals may be physically identical their personalities are not.

Of course it’s her money and her life to do with as she pleases, but I can’t help but think of how many other existing dogs in shelters (where she got Booger in the first place!) could have been helped with that much money.

Post from: Blisstree

Woman Spends $50,000 and Loses Her House So She Can Clone Her Dog

Uber-celebrity cook and daytime talk show host Rachael Ray has recently announced that she’s planning on launching her own “super premium dog food” called Nutrish. She’s basing it on recipes she uses for her pit bull Isaboo, and proceeds from the sales will go to Rachael’s Rescue, a charity she founded to help abused animals.

The ingredients don’t list onion so that’s a start, right?

Rachael says: “It seemed like not a lot of extra time to donate to something that could potentially raise millions of dollars for championing these little creatures that can’t speak for themselves.” A cat food line is currently in the works.

To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken this long! Will you check out Nutrish or stick with what you’re currently feeding?

[image used with permission from newscom.com]

Post from: Blisstree

Rachael Ray to Launch “Nutrish” Dog Food