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It began in August 2009. A struggling magician in a dragon costume stood earlier than a tepid viewers in a small venue. Piff the Magic Dragon (John van der Put) was attempting out his first hour-long present, but it surely wasn’t touchdown. The lady working the venue had a Chihuahua, and Piff’s publicist prompt he put the canine within the present. The magician reluctantly agreed, unaware that this tiny canine would quickly develop into the cornerstone of his act (and his life). Evidently, the canine was an prompt hit, so Piff determined to get a Chihuahua of his personal.
By the following day, Piff had rescued his personal Chihuahua, a bedraggled little canine named Alfie, from a grim itemizing on Gumtree, the UK’s model of Craigslist. Alfie was a large number, with matted fur, rotting enamel, eyes caked with gunk, and a nasty odor, “I used to be uncertain, however my buddy mentioned, get him out of this case at the least, after which you’ll be able to determine every little thing out later,” recollects Piff.
The day after that, he went into the present, and the viewers cherished him. Just like the earlier Chihuahua, he was a pure show-stopper. After that, he was all the time part of the act, and so they carried out round 5,000 performances collectively over the course of 15 years, together with showing on nationwide TV and a long-running Vegas act.
“I feel he was the allure. I might be fairly grumpy and dry, so having him within the present gave the viewers one thing to like and root for regardless of my finest efforts,” says Piff.
Mr. Piffles was greater than a co-star. He grew to become Piff’s foil, the lovable allure that balanced the magician’s grumpy humor. Collectively, they hit unimaginable milestones: opening for Mumford and Sons, performing alongside Shania Twain, and incomes the coveted Golden Buzzer on America’s Received Expertise. However as time wore on, Mr. Piffles aged.
However the query loomed: how may the present go on with out its furry star?
The Choice To Clone
Piff tried different routes first. He adopted a Chihuahua who appeared virtually an identical to Mr Piffles, however he was very anxious and didn’t like the brilliant lights of the stage, so he put him in control of safety. Then he tried a breeder and that canine appeared excellent, however stored rising to 3 occasions the scale of Piffles and doesn’t match within the costume, so he’s in control of morale.
Piff discovered about pet cloning when he learn an article about cloned bomb-sniffing canines in South Korea. They mentioned how the cloned canines appeared extra possible to have the ability to be taught the duties. On the time, he was looking for a brand new Mr. Piffles, so the timing couldn’t have been higher.
Cloning Mr. Piffles was a little bit of a Hail Mary concept. Might science replicate the magic of Mr. Piffles?
The Cloning Course of
Texas-based ViaGen, which launched pet cloning in 2015, is the one firm within the U.S. that at present clones pets, together with canines, cats, and horses. The method took lower than a yr, starting with acquiring genetic samples from Mr. Piffles.
Step one in cloning is Genetic Preservation. Genetic Preservation is $1,600 and features a biopsy package, shipped to the consumer or their veterinarian. The biopsy package comprises the gadgets required for his or her veterinarian to take and ship biopsy samples to us. Their veterinarian would acquire a couple of small (4 mm) pores and skin biopsies from the canine or cat beneath native or normal anesthesia. It could be nice if this may very well be achieved as a secondary process, like throughout a dental cleansing. Biopsy samples will also be collected simply after passing however are each time and temperature-sensitive.
The biopsies are then shipped instantly to our lab in Texas, the place we tradition at the least 1 million cells from the tissues. Every cell comprises the canine or cat’s full DNA, and these cells are the start line for cloning. The cell tradition takes a couple of weeks to finish, after which the cells are cryopreserved and saved, remaining viable indefinitely. The consumer doesn’t must clone instantly; these cells can be utilized for cloning at any level down the highway. An annual storage charge of $150 begins one yr after receiving samples. The Genetic Preservation charge and the annual storage charge might be utilized towards the price of cloning.
When the consumer is able to proceed with cloning, we are going to use the cryopreserved cells to create cloned embryos. These embryos are then transferred to a surrogate mom for a standard gestation interval and birthing course of. Our value for canine and cat cloning is $50,000. That is for a assure of 1 pet or kitten being inspected by a third-party veterinarian earlier than going residence and genetically verified by a third-party lab to be a genetic match to the unique pet. A 50% deposit is paid upon contract signing, and the signed cloning settlement reserves the cloning spot on the ready record. The ultimate 50% is paid when the pet or kitten is able to depart our care at round 8-9 weeks of age. We do present preliminary vaccinations whereas the puppies and kittens are in our care.
We switch cloned embryos for various canines and cats right into a single surrogate mom on the identical time. For canines notably, we be certain that the canines transferred collectively are of an analogous measurement. This technique is helpful for a lot of causes. It retains the being pregnant charges excessive whereas nonetheless maintaining the variety of puppies and kittens per household low, it additionally supplies the advantages of being raised with littermates, and it reduces the variety of surrogate moms which might be wanted for the cloning course of.
– Cody Lamb, ViaGen
“ViaGen made the method extremely simple,” says Piff. “Essentially the most troublesome half was discovering a vet who knew methods to take the samples required.” It took slightly below a yr from when he began the method to when the clone arrived.
“We had no concept whether or not it was going to work or what would occur, but it surely turned out to be a quite simple course of,” Piff mentioned. “ViaGen was very useful about what to anticipate at every stage.”
The Clone Takes The Stage
When the cloned pet arrived, it was as if time had rewound. Piff, who’d by no means seen Mr. Piffles as a pup, was captivated by the tiny bundle of vitality. Since Mr. Piffles was a rescue canine, Piff by no means knew what he appeared like as a pet, so he says that a part of the journey was lots of enjoyable and an entire shock.
The cloned Chihuahua, named Fortune, was a spitting picture of the unique Mr. Piffles however was greater than only a doppelgänger. He had the identical stage presence, the identical allure. Audiences couldn’t inform the distinction, and the brand new Mr. Piffles slipped seamlessly into the act. However behind the scenes, the cloning raised eyebrows—and moral questions.
“Now that he’s totally grown, it’s unbelievable how related he’s to Mr Piffles when he was youthful. It’s virtually inconceivable to inform them aside in photographs. And on stage, he’s a real skilled, crushing each gig identical to Piffles did.”
Whereas Mr. Piffles can by no means get replaced, having an an identical canine could make the transition simpler. “When Mr. Piffles handed away, having part of him dwell on helped far more than I anticipated,” says Piff. “I think about we are going to give you new tips collectively, however all constructed on the foundations of what Mr Piffles established.”
Cloning him isn’t about in some way making him dwell endlessly. As a substitute, Piff sees the cloning journey as the beginning of one thing new created due to Mr. Piffles and one thing that wouldn’t have been attainable with out him.
January 2025 Replace: Mr. Piffles Cloned Once more—Twice!
The legacy of Mr. Piffles continues to develop as magician Piff the Magic Dragon not too long ago introduced that he has cloned his beloved Chihuahua not as soon as however two extra occasions. Introducing Fiver and Six Pack, two an identical clones of the unique Mr. Piffles, born by way of the identical ViaGen cloning course of that introduced the primary Mr. Piffles clone to life. Why the names? They’re his fifth and sixth canines, respectively.
Fiver and Six Pack be part of the magical household as the following technology of performers, bringing much more allure and enjoyable to Piff’s Las Vegas present. Whereas every pup shares the long-lasting look and stage presence of the unique Mr. Piffles, Piff and his viewers are excited to see their particular person personalities shine by way of.
With these newest additions, Piff’s act is about to develop into much more dynamic, making certain the allure of Mr. Piffles continues to captivate audiences for years to return.
Legacy Redefined
Now, with the cloned Mr. Piffles at his facet, Piff continues to push the boundaries of magic and storytelling. The act is a fusion of nostalgia and innovation, a celebration of what was and what may very well be. Because the magician takes his bow every night time, the viewers is aware of they’ve witnessed one thing actually magical: a canine’s legacy reborn for an additional decade of acts and reminiscences.
Need to see Piff and Mr. Piffles carry out? You’ll be able to see them dwell in Las Vegas on the Flamingo showroom, the place they have been voted finest headliner, finest magician, and finest comic in Las Vegas. Study extra, store swag, and watch extra movies on Piff The Magic Dragon’s web site. You may get tickets for the dwell present on Ticketmaster.
