'I would do anything to see his face again': on cloning Dylan the boxer

Laura Jacques and Richard Remde were devastated when their beloved pet died. Now they are looking forward to meeting his replica

On the mantelpiece is a sign saying "A home is not a home without a dog". Next to it, in the couple's living room, is a framed picture of a dog, which is itself nestled among various dog ornaments. The kitchen, where Laura Jacques and Richard Remde's four dogs primarily play and rest, is similarly adorned. Upstairs is the couple's super-kingsize bed, roomy enough to accommodate two humans and four dogs. Even the toilet has a little stuffed dog propped up on a wicker basket.

Visitors to the couple's home in Silsden, West Yorkshire, are left in no doubt about the importance of dogs in their lives. Their four dogs will soon become six, when they bring home two cloned boxers, the first in the world to be duplicated from a pet that had been dead for more than two weeks.