I'm paying £40k to CLONE my dog after it was killed by a mystery hit and run driver... but here is why it is worth every penny

A heartbroken mates are group to salary a US pet cloning session astir £40k to bring their dormant canine backmost to life aft she was killed by a enigma driver.

Dominika Sojka, 34, and her partner Ian Clague, 62, mislaid their 10-month-old puppy Bijoux connected June 29 aft he escaped from nan plot of their £1million Bournemouth location and was deed by a car.

The chartless driver did not extremity astatine nan segment aliases telephone nan police, which is nan ineligible work of immoderate motorist who hits a canine nether UK Law.

Bijoux's assemblage was taken to a adjacent vet by an anonymous driver. A man nan mates judge was down their dog's death, fixed his refusal to make interaction contempt their pleas to staff.

It near nan mates pinch a operation of nonaccomplishment and injustice – and galore questions astir what happened connected that fateful summertime evening to their beloved chow chow/husky transverse - aliases Chowsky.

Just days aft nan mishap and while Bijoux's assemblage was astatine nan vets, Dominika, a backstage pitchy broker, was 'not fresh to opportunity goodbye'.

She recalls: 'She was gone truthful quickly. I was looking astatine ways to sphere her, I was reasoning of stuffing her, but past I thought I didn't want her assemblage to beryllium disturbed successful immoderate way.

'Then I thought, possibly I tin clone her, which I thought wasn't really possible, but erstwhile I looked it up I realised it was imaginable successful America. I was for illustration ''wow''.

'So I googled to spot whether you tin do it successful nan UK, and I recovered this institution called Gemini Genetics. I contacted them and asked if location was immoderate measurement we could clone Bijoux.

'They said they yes, they could do it by taking Bijoux's DNA, they would conscionable request a mini tegument sample.

'However, she was successful nan freezer astatine nan vet, which they said was a problem because a stiff dog's cells mightiness beryllium dead. They said they could not guarantee it was going to work.

'But they managed to retrieve her cells and nan DNA, they froze it astatine -197C.'

Ian, who owns and runs an engineering firm, said: 'They civilization nan cells to make judge they've sewage a batch of cells and past they frost it, truthful they've sewage a preserved sample, and you salary a definite magnitude for that.

'But nan existent costs is past erstwhile you clone nan animal, and that has nan hap successful nan US because it's not ineligible successful nan UK. But you tin import you cloned canine erstwhile its alive.

'We met nan laminitis of Gemini Genetics, and he introduced america to his two-year-old cloned canine and it was lively and jumping and everything you'd expect.'

'They unrecorded arsenic agelong arsenic immoderate different animals', added Dominika.

Ian said: 'We haven't cloned her yet, she's successful heavy frost astatine nan moment. It's rather costly to resurrect her, astir $50,000 (£40,000).

'But astatine a constituent successful clip we could do that. We'll conscionable hold until we've sewage nan costs together.'

Dominika said: 'It gives maine hope. I cognize it won't beryllium precisely nan aforesaid canine - it's a twin. The colours will beryllium nan aforesaid but nan measurement nan patches are will astir apt beryllium different.

'But nan shape, everything other will beryllium nan aforesaid arsenic Bijoux was. So, while location is still wounded from nan death, she will beryllium backmost pinch us.'

Despite their enquiries into cloning Bijoux, nan mishap itself still loomed ample for Dominika and Ian.

So hopeless were they for answers they hired a backstage pet detective to hunt down nan driver. 

But his investigations yet led to nothing, and nan section constabulary dropped nan case.

Dominika added: 'She was truthful lovely, very lovable, and loved different dogs. She would ever tally to america successful nan greeting and opportunity hullo by jumping connected our bed.'

Ian said: 'Bijoux really loved nan forest. She loved to pursuit a hare aliases a rabbit aliases squirrel – not that she ever caught one'.

In a connection to nan chartless driver, Dominika said: 'You deed our dog. The slightest you tin do is prime up nan telephone and telephone nan police.

'I person truthful galore questions, but zero answers. It would really thief pinch closure'.

Ian added: 'Had nan driver called nan constabulary astatine nan time, we whitethorn ne'er person had to spell done each this'.

In nan aftermath of nan tragedy, Ian and Dominika are calling connected each drivers to beryllium alert of their ineligible work to extremity astatine nan segment and telephone nan constabulary if they deed a dog.

On Wednesday, nan animal use kindness Blue Cross launched nan Blue Cross Code, a caller information inaugural encouraging drivers and pet owners to beryllium much alert to risks connected nan road.

Research by nan kindness reveals nan mostly of UK drivers would break nan rule if they deed a canine pinch their vehicle.

The study showed 86% of motorists would not telephone nan constabulary if they injured a canine and nary proprietor was successful show – pinch that number rising to 91% successful young drivers aged 18 to 24.

Under UK Law, a driver who hits a canine must extremity and study nan mishap to nan constabulary – however, nan aforesaid ineligible request does not use if a feline is involved.

It is estimated that 80,000 dogs and 230,000 cats are deed by a car connected UK roads each year.