DNA is Love – Jewelry and Keepsakes Created with your Cat’s DNA!
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to create a genuine connection between people and pets through the power of DNA? Well, Dave Latorra and Stephanie Ford of DNA is Love figured out a way to do that! Michelle Fern chats with the co-founders about their desire is to offer DNA is love products and shared stories as a powerful and intimate reminder of the interconnectedness of all living things. Beautiful products with your cat’s DNA! A-meowzing!.
Listen to Episode #237 Now:
BIO:
DAVE LATORRA
Co-founder of DNA is Love, LLC.
Dave began researching molecular biology and DNA technologies and PCR during graduate school and has been working on applications in different forms since. In the early 1990s, he worked at a private forensics and relationship testing lab in Denver, Colorado which developed into his Ph.D research project on animal and human identity testing. He continues to work with several labs on human DNA relationship testing. Dave has a strong scientific research and development background after working with several leading Colorado molecular diagnostics companies. He was the lead author of a series of publications focused on LNA (locked nucleic acid) applications.
He has continued to focus on molecular biology and diagnostics throughout his career. Dave has a long corporate history as a Senior Field Applications Specialist with several leading multinational genetic tools and diagnostics companies. Most recently, he has worked in cannabis sciences and over the past three years he has served as Lab Director for four different cannabis analytical chemistry testing labs in California, Oregon and New Mexico. Dave is also the founder of Ganja Genomics, a startup focused on emerging cannabis DNA applications and products.
Dave has a B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. in Microbiology from Clemson University and obtained a Ph.D in Zoology/Biology from Colorado State University.
STEPHANIE FORD
Co-founder of DNA is Love, LLC.
Stephanie brings compassion and a vision for connection to the human side of this venture. As a former hospice care worker, she saw the need for connection, the importance of sharing stories, the significance of keeping memories alive, and the desire everyone has to be remembered.
Stephanie has a background in business development, marketing, and graphic design as well as hospice and caregiving. Stephanie has a passion for learning people’s stories and recognizes the importance of passing these stories down so that those we love are never forgotten. When not working and learning about DNA, Stephanie enjoys hiking the beautiful trails of Oregon, birdwatching (a new hobby), hanging out with the people she loves the most & spoiling her sweet cat, Yeti.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Michelle Fern: Hello, feline friends, welcome to Cattitude.
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Michelle Fern: I'm your show host, Michelle Fern.
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Michelle Fern: So we love our cats, right?
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Michelle Fern: And we want them with us all the time, but they can't be with us all the time.
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Michelle Fern: And then when they go to that cat heaven, what do you do?
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Michelle Fern: Well, my guest today created something so special that we don't talk a lot about different products because this is all about cats, but it's not really about products.
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Michelle Fern: But this is something so different, I have to share it with you.
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Michelle Fern: So stay tuned, we'll be right back.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.
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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.
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Michelle Fern: I'd like to welcome Stephanie Ford and Dave Latorra.
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Michelle Fern: They are co-founders of DNA is Love.
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Michelle Fern: Welcome, Stephanie and Dave.
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Stephanie Ford: Thank you, thank you for having me.
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Michelle Fern: I'm so excited to have you both on.
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Michelle Fern: So I mentioned DNA is Love, and I'm sure some of the people listening are going, what in the world, DNA is Love?
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Michelle Fern: We know what DNA is, but can you talk about what DNA is Love is, and how it started?
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Stephanie Ford: Well, we started the company, Dave and I did.
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Stephanie Ford: He has had this idea forever, and Dave's background is in the DNA sciences, and he has a passion for it.
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Stephanie Ford: And so I come from the hospice and caregiving background.
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Stephanie Ford: And so when we were talking about bringing something together that could include connection and stories, Dave brought up this idea of putting DNA into keepsakes.
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Stephanie Ford: And I just thought it was brilliant, because it really brought in the science and the heart of bringing people and pets together in a way that's kind of unique and novel.
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Stephanie Ford: And so that's kind of how it started for us.
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Stephanie Ford: And we came up with DNA is Love and have been working for a couple of years on it.
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Michelle Fern: Dave, do you have anything to share?
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Dave Latorra: Yeah, like Stephanie mentioned, I've had this dream for a couple of decades now, even back into the 90s.
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Dave Latorra: I did research on genetic research, identifying families and family members and also extended out to pets and different animal species.
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Dave Latorra: So kind of had this idea, it's kind of been on the back burner for such a long time.
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Dave Latorra: And then Stephanie and I met and started talking about the business prospects for this.
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Dave Latorra: And she really brought the purpose and the meaning behind this.
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Dave Latorra: It is that connection hanging on to someone, hanging on to the memories of someone, whether they're with you now, or, you know, once they pass away, something tangible that just means so much to people.
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Dave Latorra: So that's where we started.
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Dave Latorra: And we've been working really hard to bring this to life.
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Michelle Fern: Well, I think it's a really cool idea.
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Michelle Fern: There's a lot of out of the box, I guess products is to, I don't really want to say products, but a lot of out of the box ideas for what to do or how to keep your loved ones close.
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Michelle Fern: And, you know, we're about cats.
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Michelle Fern: So we're talking about cats.
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Michelle Fern: So how to keep your cats close.
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Michelle Fern: And, you know, some things make sense and some things just seem a little bizarre.
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Michelle Fern: Most of us end up cremating our cats.
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Michelle Fern: And there's, I've seen little things that people carry their ashes around.
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Michelle Fern: That's a little strange.
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Michelle Fern: And I am okay with way out of the box things, but that's a little bit, you know, kind of unusual.
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Michelle Fern: So Stephanie and Dave, what can it mean to people to be able to have their pets DNA with them?
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Stephanie Ford: We started, our first sample was done for my cat, Yeti, who I've had for 12 years and who is my absolute life.
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Stephanie Ford: And there is something tangible about having a living part of him with me.
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Stephanie Ford: So he's still here with me and I also can carry him with me when I'm out and about.
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Stephanie Ford: And to see it go through the process was such a neat experience, honestly, of extracting, doing his little cheek cell and then watching it go through the whole process and then having Dave confirm it by PCR, which gave the confirmation that we got his DNA and that it's his little blueprint in this world and it's just one of a kind.
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Stephanie Ford: And so to have a tangible keepsake of that has been really meaningful for me.
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Stephanie Ford: And that's our hope is that we can offer this for people as a living reminder maybe of their cat, their dog, their horse, we've done all of it.
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Stephanie Ford: And so it's just a neat reminder of them living.
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Michelle Fern: You know what?
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Michelle Fern: You said something really great.
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Michelle Fern: It's their blueprint.
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Michelle Fern: So I think it's even something more special than just ashes or a lock of their hair or fur.
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Michelle Fern: I don't know what else you could take off of them, a nail.
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Michelle Fern: I don't know, but a DNA is your blueprint.
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Michelle Fern: So let's talk about how it works.
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Michelle Fern: How do you go about collecting the DNA?
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Michelle Fern: So we did it for Molly, our cat, and she's not easy.
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Michelle Fern: I thought, how am I going to do this?
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Michelle Fern: I don't know.
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Michelle Fern: But she actually chewed on it.
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Michelle Fern: Go ahead and she chewed on the stick.
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Michelle Fern: It was easy.
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Michelle Fern: You got like 270, what were they?
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Michelle Fern: Nanograms in my thumb and my ring, right?
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Michelle Fern: And they only need like two.
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Michelle Fern: So you had a whole bunch.
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Michelle Fern: But can you explain how that process works?
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Dave Latorra: Yeah, you did great, by the way, with Molly sampling.
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Dave Latorra: So it's really very straightforward and easy.
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Dave Latorra: It's really quick too.
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Dave Latorra: So basically we send you a cheek swab.
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Dave Latorra: You go ahead and just swab the inside of the person or pet's cheek for about 30 seconds to a minute.
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Dave Latorra: And there's enough cells where we're actually getting the DNA from is the cells that are sloughed off or extra that you actually rub off from the cheek cells.
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Dave Latorra: Then we get those cells back to the lab.
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Dave Latorra: And then in the lab here, I go ahead and extract the DNA out of those cells.
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Dave Latorra: So we break the cells open, we separate all the components out, that we hone in on the DNA and we have a process.
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Dave Latorra: And I could talk more about the process and things, but we basically can isolate the DNA away from everything else in the cell.
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Dave Latorra: We wash the extra remnants away.
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Dave Latorra: Then we get through the end of that process.
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Dave Latorra: And then we actually confirm, like Stephanie said, we actually check to make sure that every sample works.
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Dave Latorra: Like say, Molly didn't let you get a good sample collection.
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Dave Latorra: We would know that.
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Dave Latorra: So we would go ahead and ask you to take another sample.
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Dave Latorra: So we make sure we have Molly's DNA.
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Dave Latorra: And then when we're done, Stephanie does the engraving to customize the product, the piece of jewelry or the picture frame, whichever.
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Dave Latorra: And then we go ahead and put the DNA into that, seal it up, send it back to you with a beautiful package and certificate to confirm all that.
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Dave Latorra: And then you've got it for a lifetime.
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Michelle Fern: That's amazing.
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Michelle Fern: So tell us, I know you said about the science, but we have a little time.
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Michelle Fern: How does the science work for us non-science people?
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Dave Latorra: So DNA is, it really is the genetic blueprint.
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Dave Latorra: It's the thing that ties us all in common, all of us.
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Dave Latorra: In fact, people are 99.9% have the same DNA, but there is enough difference in each person's DNA to separate them from everyone else.
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Dave Latorra: Same thing with cats.
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Dave Latorra: Cats have a great similarity between all other cats, but there's some differences that make your particular pet, special pet unique to you.
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Dave Latorra: Actually, there's like a 90% homology between cats and people.
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Dave Latorra: So 90% of the DNA that your cat Molly has, you share that in common with her, Michelle.
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Dave Latorra: So there's a fun fact right there.
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Michelle Fern: It's pretty cool to know.
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Michelle Fern: And I know cats are, house cats share a lot, a high percentage of DNA with tigers.
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Dave Latorra: Exactly.
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Dave Latorra: In evolution, they evolved similar to each other and came from kind of the same descendants going back far enough.
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Dave Latorra: So the closer you are, the more similarity in the DNA inheritances.
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Dave Latorra: It is really the blueprint of life.
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Dave Latorra: And it's a living reminder.
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Dave Latorra: We're not doing anything.
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Dave Latorra: We're not giving you enough DNA or something to clone a pet or a cat, but we are giving you enough to have a great special reminder.
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Dave Latorra: And DNA is remarkably stable.
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Dave Latorra: It will last for really generations.
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Dave Latorra: I mean, you've heard stories of, they have DNA from ancient peoples and mummies and samples from dinosaurs and things even from way back.
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Dave Latorra: So DNA is incredibly stable, especially what we're doing with it.
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Dave Latorra: We're preserving it in pristine shape.
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Michelle Fern: That's incredible.
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Michelle Fern: That's incredible.
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Michelle Fern: We're gonna take a short break and we're gonna talk more about this.
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Michelle Fern: We'll be right back.
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Michelle Fern: Hey everyone, Michelle Fern here.
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00:09:44.832 --> 00:09:49.752
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00:09:49.992 --> 00:09:55.952
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00:09:56.232 --> 00:10:03.572
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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.
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Michelle Fern: We're talking to Stephanie and Dave, co-founders of DNA is Love.
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Michelle Fern: And we're talking about DNA because that's the basis of what your product is.
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Michelle Fern: So how do you actually extract it?
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Dave Latorra: Yeah, so I'll go into a little more detail.
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Dave Latorra: We actually, what you do is you do a cell lysis.
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Dave Latorra: So you're breaking the cells open, the cell wall, disrupting the cell, and then everything else is then in solution.
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Dave Latorra: So there's protein, there's nucleic acid, there's lipids.
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Dave Latorra: So we have a very particular process.
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Dave Latorra: We actually use a magnetic separation.
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Dave Latorra: So we have magnetic beads that are charged and also chemically treated.
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Dave Latorra: So they're gonna actually grab onto the DNA.
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Dave Latorra: We're gonna then put that up against the magnet and that's gonna hold tight against the wall of the tube.
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Dave Latorra: So we can cling and hang on to the DNA.
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Dave Latorra: We get rid of and wash away all the other components that are not pure DNA.
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Dave Latorra: We go through that process a couple of times in the lab.
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Dave Latorra: And then what's left, then we let the DNA off of the magnets and what's left is very pure DNA left in solution.
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Dave Latorra: And then as Stephanie mentioned early on, we actually have a process called PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
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Dave Latorra: Some people might be familiar with that from different testing that was done a lot during the COVID time for testing day.
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Dave Latorra: And so we really confirm every sample is there.
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Dave Latorra: So it's a pretty elegant, straightforward, simple process.
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Dave Latorra: It's a really well-characterized molecular biology technique and we're using it really effectively.
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Dave Latorra: And as Stephanie mentioned, it works in all mammals that we've worked with so far.
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Dave Latorra: So we're really thrilled to get quality samples from all types of pets.
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Michelle Fern: I mentioned ashes before.
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Michelle Fern: I'm pretty sure you have a different way because you offer keepsakes with DNA and with ashes, cremation ashes.
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Michelle Fern: How would you mix, would you mix the two, like on your bracelets, put a little bit of ashes and then DNA together, or they have to be separate?
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Dave Latorra: We're kind of offering all options.
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Dave Latorra: Honestly, our DNA is kind of our forte.
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Dave Latorra: I mean, that's my experience.
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Dave Latorra: I have decades worth of molecular biology experience, a PhD and whatnot, but we realize some people, that's all they do have left from their loved ones.
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Dave Latorra: You know, Stephanie's brother had many dogs and all he has left is some cremation ashes.
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Dave Latorra: So the fillable jewelry that we're using for DNA can also be filled with cremation ashes.
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Dave Latorra: And then I had this idea about a year ago, what, you know, I don't know how popular it will be, but it is an option.
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Dave Latorra: People can mix the two together.
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Dave Latorra: So say you had cremation ashes from a cat that you've loved for years, and then you want to get a sample from yourself, a living sample, someone that's, we could actually mix the two together.
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Dave Latorra: We offer that as a product offering as well.
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Dave Latorra: So kind of all options in that spectrum is what we're doing.
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Michelle Fern: That's good to hear.
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Michelle Fern: And I think what I was talking about before, when I said about carrying your ashes, I've seen some things that they were pardon the word here, but a little bit crude, like it was basically a glass or plastic type of locket with some ashes inside.
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Michelle Fern: So if that works, but moisture can get in there, the ashes can come out.
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Michelle Fern: I don't know how great that would be.
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Michelle Fern: I mean, that's not that viable, right?
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Stephanie Ford: Yeah, that's a really good point.
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Stephanie Ford: And so it's just another option, if you will, a way of remembering.
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Stephanie Ford: And so we do offer the cremation ashes because we do understand there's a lot of people that just have that and it's a way to hold on to.
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Stephanie Ford: And there's so many beautiful ways to remember our pets and our loved ones.
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Stephanie Ford: And so this is just one more way to do that.
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Stephanie Ford: And the beautiful thing about the DNA though, it adheres basically to the jewelry and maybe Dave can help me out on this, but it's so stable that it will stay in there forever.
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Stephanie Ford: And so no matter what happens with your piece of jewelry or whatnot, that DNA will always stay and remain in it.
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Michelle Fern: Okay, thank you so much for all of this information.
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Michelle Fern: I know we talked about this in parts, but let's go about how someone would go about doing it just from the start.
00:14:59.076 --> 00:15:09.436
Michelle Fern: So say I decide, okay, my cat's still with me, I want her DNA, but I'm grateful you do say about that about ashes because I have two dogs where I just have ashes now.
00:15:09.796 --> 00:15:13.416
Michelle Fern: But for my cat, let's say I'm gonna do the DNA.
00:15:13.616 --> 00:15:14.996
Michelle Fern: So what is the first step?
00:15:15.196 --> 00:15:20.996
Stephanie Ford: So the first step would be to go to our website, and which is dnaislove.com.
00:15:21.816 --> 00:15:28.176
Stephanie Ford: And basically you would just go look at the shop page and see what you like and what resonates with you.
00:15:28.196 --> 00:15:36.716
Stephanie Ford: And we have jewelry and we have picture frames and even just little vials, if you're not a jewelry person or anything like that.
00:15:37.256 --> 00:15:44.356
Stephanie Ford: And so there are quite a few options for to hold on to the DNA of your pet or loved one.
00:15:44.536 --> 00:16:03.536
Stephanie Ford: And then once you go through that process, you basically pick out your piece, your chain, the engraving, and then if you would like an extra preserved sample, that is an option on the website for just a small additional cost to just hold on to separate from your keepsake.
00:16:04.076 --> 00:16:05.536
Michelle Fern: So where would I hold onto it?
00:16:05.556 --> 00:16:09.756
Michelle Fern: Because it's just a little bit of DNA, where does it come in a container?
00:16:10.036 --> 00:16:26.876
Stephanie Ford: Yes, it's a little amber vial that Dave basically goes through the whole process and he dries down the DNA, and then it's in the vial and it's not visible, but it is there if you were ever to go back and rehydrate it, it remains stable for years and years and years.
00:16:26.896 --> 00:16:37.076
Stephanie Ford: And so in that vial, you could just put in a safety box or on your shelf or as a reminder of your cat.
00:16:37.096 --> 00:16:42.356
Stephanie Ford: Like I have one in a little printer's box that I hold on to as a reminder of him.
00:16:42.516 --> 00:16:48.096
Stephanie Ford: And so yeah, so it comes in a little amber vial, so there's an option to do that.
00:16:48.236 --> 00:17:00.136
Stephanie Ford: And then also we would love to get a photo of your pet just to personalize it a little bit, but also for the certificate of authenticity, which will show how many nanograms of DNA we got, just like we did for Molly.
00:17:00.516 --> 00:17:05.276
Stephanie Ford: And that's always fun because it varies, depending on the cheek cell swab we get.
00:17:05.516 --> 00:17:12.456
Stephanie Ford: And like I mentioned to you, it takes one nanogram to actually get the blueprint of your pet.
00:17:12.656 --> 00:17:16.016
Stephanie Ford: So we were able to get 270 with Molly, which is exciting.
00:17:16.496 --> 00:17:21.896
Michelle Fern: And I didn't even think, I mean, I didn't even know how it would work, but cats are curious, they just chew.
00:17:22.356 --> 00:17:35.916
Michelle Fern: And I guess what I meant from ashes is, if you have ashes only, and I talked about this earlier, but if it's in the vial, would that be affected by humidity or anything, or that's sealed, that is yours, it is not going anywhere?
00:17:36.136 --> 00:17:43.636
Dave Latorra: Michelle, like, you know, ashes are just kind of, they could be sealed inside the jewelry, just as if we would put a liquid.
00:17:43.736 --> 00:17:47.816
Dave Latorra: We do usually provide DNA as a liquid in the products that we sell.
00:17:48.016 --> 00:17:49.736
Dave Latorra: Ashes are the same thing, they'll be okay.
00:17:49.756 --> 00:17:54.496
Dave Latorra: I don't think really there's gonna be much that's gonna grow and contaminate in there over time.
00:17:54.516 --> 00:17:56.876
Dave Latorra: Like they should be pretty stable and steady.
00:17:57.256 --> 00:17:58.376
Dave Latorra: Same thing with the DNA.
00:17:59.596 --> 00:18:01.816
Dave Latorra: So either option is viable.
00:18:02.016 --> 00:18:06.836
Dave Latorra: And the thing that we've also done is for a long-term preservation of DNA.
00:18:06.856 --> 00:18:11.416
Dave Latorra: That's why we're offering an extra sample for people just for long-term safekeeping.
00:18:11.596 --> 00:18:13.376
Dave Latorra: You can also dry the DNA down.
00:18:13.396 --> 00:18:18.236
Dave Latorra: And if the DNA would dry inside the jewelry over time, it's still in there and it's still stable.
00:18:18.356 --> 00:18:20.576
Dave Latorra: DNA is remarkably stable on a surface.
00:18:20.596 --> 00:18:26.516
Dave Latorra: It just needs to be rehydrated with water and that sample could be used down the road confirmed.
00:18:27.256 --> 00:18:30.196
Dave Latorra: And some of these things, there could be testing done on them.
00:18:30.216 --> 00:18:31.636
Dave Latorra: We're not offering any testing.
00:18:31.656 --> 00:18:33.256
Dave Latorra: We're not providing any data with this.
00:18:33.276 --> 00:18:36.236
Dave Latorra: We're doing this for people's keepsakes and safekeeping.
00:18:36.316 --> 00:18:42.036
Dave Latorra: But you could do genetic testing on any of these samples down the road if you should want to.
00:18:42.056 --> 00:18:49.176
Dave Latorra: That's kind of one of the purposes of why we're doing this is to hang on the sample from people in the generations before they pass on.
00:18:49.296 --> 00:18:52.196
Dave Latorra: So DNA is incredible and we're using that.
00:18:52.216 --> 00:18:53.816
Dave Latorra: And it's also the life force.
00:18:53.836 --> 00:18:57.096
Dave Latorra: So that really is what separates it for us from the ashes.
00:18:57.116 --> 00:18:59.336
Dave Latorra: It's kind of more a living and symbolic.
00:18:59.356 --> 00:19:07.736
Dave Latorra: And also, there is still that the biology, the biochemistry of that versus ashes is more really kind of in the past.
00:19:07.936 --> 00:19:16.336
Michelle Fern: Do you have any interesting stories, customer stories where someone asks to be, I don't know, have you ever done elephant DNA or fish DNA?
00:19:18.216 --> 00:19:19.036
Michelle Fern: Never know.
00:19:19.056 --> 00:19:21.656
Stephanie Ford: I hope to someday, that would be great.
00:19:21.896 --> 00:19:26.816
Dave Latorra: Yeah, so far we're more with people's conventional pets and things, but we're open to anything.
00:19:26.976 --> 00:19:32.616
Dave Latorra: Right now we can confirm the DNA from any mammal that we're working with, but we can go beyond that.
00:19:32.636 --> 00:19:37.916
Dave Latorra: It's just a matter of, for me, it would just be a matter of PCR primers to confirm what species.
00:19:37.916 --> 00:19:45.516
Dave Latorra: But people are just, the dog and cat and horse market, the love the community those people have is amazing.
00:19:45.556 --> 00:19:47.796
Dave Latorra: So that's where we're starting with this.
00:19:47.816 --> 00:19:51.396
Dave Latorra: But yeah, we take some interesting stories.
00:19:51.496 --> 00:19:55.016
Dave Latorra: I think the most fun stories are just people trying to collect the sample, right?
00:19:55.036 --> 00:19:58.376
Dave Latorra: As you mentioned with Molly, she was chewing the stick.
00:19:58.456 --> 00:20:02.156
Dave Latorra: I know Stephanie had interesting stories trying to get Yeti sample too.
00:20:02.496 --> 00:20:05.976
Michelle Fern: How was it with getting Stephanie with your cat Yeti to get a sample?
00:20:06.316 --> 00:20:07.616
Stephanie Ford: Oh, he was such a trooper.
00:20:08.336 --> 00:20:14.816
Stephanie Ford: Because we had to do it multiple times just to run the process and make sure everything was right and accurate.
00:20:15.036 --> 00:20:17.836
Stephanie Ford: And so he did it multiple times for us.
00:20:17.936 --> 00:20:20.096
Stephanie Ford: And he was great.
00:20:20.116 --> 00:20:26.616
Stephanie Ford: It's not easy, like you said, sometimes they kind of bulk it, having a stick in their mouth, of course.
00:20:26.756 --> 00:20:27.756
Stephanie Ford: But I'm so grateful.
00:20:27.936 --> 00:20:31.216
Stephanie Ford: I'm so grateful that I have this part of him.
00:20:31.496 --> 00:20:39.256
Stephanie Ford: As he gets older and he's hitting 13 this year, and you can just see him slowing down.
00:20:39.256 --> 00:20:43.316
Stephanie Ford: And it's just a wonderful reminder that he'll always be with me.
00:20:43.696 --> 00:20:45.096
Stephanie Ford: And that means so much.
00:20:45.116 --> 00:20:47.976
Stephanie Ford: But we've got some incredible people we've been working with.
00:20:48.156 --> 00:20:56.416
Stephanie Ford: And we recently did a horse extraction, which meant a lot to the young woman who sent in her sample.
00:20:56.896 --> 00:21:03.236
Stephanie Ford: And that's the beautiful part of this is getting the stories behind the keepsake.
00:21:03.576 --> 00:21:12.256
Stephanie Ford: And that's kind of what I love to do is to get the stories of these pets who have made such a difference in people's lives.
00:21:12.456 --> 00:21:21.636
Stephanie Ford: And so we're building that as well into our website of just sharing the stories, talking about these people and these pets who have made such a difference.
00:21:21.636 --> 00:21:23.696
Stephanie Ford: And that's what we hope to grow over time.
00:21:24.136 --> 00:21:26.576
Michelle Fern: What is your most popular item?
00:21:26.776 --> 00:21:29.856
Michelle Fern: Is it the bracelets, keepsakes, other keepsakes?
00:21:30.236 --> 00:21:31.536
Stephanie Ford: Yeah, that's a great question.
00:21:31.556 --> 00:21:37.336
Stephanie Ford: We've sold picture frames have been popular because not a lot of people want to wear jewelry.
00:21:37.436 --> 00:21:42.996
Stephanie Ford: And so the picture frame is really beautiful and just seeing it on a shelf with the vial.
00:21:43.036 --> 00:21:48.536
Stephanie Ford: So there is a vial in the picture frame that we fill with the DNA and engrave it.
00:21:48.896 --> 00:21:51.436
Stephanie Ford: The infinity necklace has been popular.
00:21:51.456 --> 00:21:53.736
Stephanie Ford: The necklaces have been really popular.
00:21:53.776 --> 00:21:56.596
Stephanie Ford: I know Molly got a bracelet and that was really fun to do.
00:21:57.016 --> 00:22:03.316
Michelle Fern: If you don't mind, because I'm sure people are trying to picture it and I know they can go to your website and we'll mention that in just a moment.
00:22:03.536 --> 00:22:08.016
Michelle Fern: But in the bracelet, it's in like this tiny compartment that you wouldn't even know is there.
00:22:08.476 --> 00:22:09.736
Stephanie Ford: Right, right.
00:22:10.076 --> 00:22:11.776
Stephanie Ford: And that's the fun part of it.
00:22:11.856 --> 00:22:14.056
Stephanie Ford: If just, you know, it's there.
00:22:14.156 --> 00:22:22.956
Stephanie Ford: And quite often I have necklaces, I have a bracelet and sometimes, when I'm out and about, I love to bird watch in my free time, which is a new hobby of mine.
00:22:23.496 --> 00:22:27.776
Stephanie Ford: And so when I'm out and about, I'll just kind of touch it and think, oh, you're here with me.
00:22:28.136 --> 00:22:32.476
Stephanie Ford: And it really is just a beautiful physical feeling of, oh, I'm so glad you're here.
00:22:32.736 --> 00:22:39.696
Stephanie Ford: And I was able to do it for my dad, which was kind of a miraculous story that I was able to get that from him.
00:22:40.316 --> 00:22:46.096
Stephanie Ford: And so always just to have a part of him with me as he gets older, you know, and we face that.
00:22:46.216 --> 00:22:56.476
Stephanie Ford: And so it really is just a meaningful thing to hold on to and to touch and to just keep and just remember.
00:22:56.836 --> 00:23:04.596
Stephanie Ford: And that's our hope is that we can just create a way to remember these people, these pets who have made such a difference.
00:23:05.056 --> 00:23:06.776
Michelle Fern: It's such a special way to do that.
00:23:07.036 --> 00:23:11.876
Michelle Fern: How can people go ahead and do they go to your website and just start from that place?
00:23:11.896 --> 00:23:13.216
Michelle Fern: And then what is your website?
00:23:13.356 --> 00:23:16.396
Michelle Fern: Where can people find their own keepsake of DNA?
00:23:16.596 --> 00:23:17.436
Dave Latorra: Yeah, totally.
00:23:17.456 --> 00:23:18.856
Dave Latorra: That's a great place to start.
00:23:18.856 --> 00:23:22.736
Dave Latorra: So it's dnaislove.com, just the way it sounds.
00:23:22.916 --> 00:23:25.236
Dave Latorra: And you can do some research on there.
00:23:25.256 --> 00:23:27.056
Dave Latorra: You know, we have the products there.
00:23:27.076 --> 00:23:28.056
Dave Latorra: You could see those things.
00:23:28.076 --> 00:23:31.156
Dave Latorra: But also as Stephanie mentioned, we're really a lot more than that.
00:23:31.376 --> 00:23:34.036
Dave Latorra: We have a part that's called Life Stories with Steph.
00:23:34.056 --> 00:23:36.496
Dave Latorra: And really she's an amazing storyteller.
00:23:36.556 --> 00:23:39.856
Dave Latorra: She's trying to capture people and pets stories.
00:23:39.876 --> 00:23:46.016
Dave Latorra: And then we have a Science Corner part as well, where I try to help educate people on the DNA and the science.
00:23:46.016 --> 00:23:54.196
Dave Latorra: And a part I'm particularly fond of is this section we call Ask Dave, where people can ask their DNA questions to me and I'll respond back to them.
00:23:54.216 --> 00:23:57.536
Dave Latorra: So we want to make it a really interactive, fun process for people.
00:23:57.676 --> 00:24:00.196
Dave Latorra: And so that's the place to go to get started.
00:24:00.356 --> 00:24:03.616
Dave Latorra: And Michelle, I also wanted to kick back to one of your earlier questions.
00:24:03.656 --> 00:24:10.316
Dave Latorra: A good story is, you know, my daughter, we have a cat as well at home and one of my daughters collected a few samples from her.
00:24:10.336 --> 00:24:17.676
Dave Latorra: We've done a number of, quite a number of all kinds of pets, but she thought it wouldn't work because she didn't really get a great collection.
00:24:17.776 --> 00:24:24.636
Dave Latorra: Phoebe is our cat and she just kind of got it with her tongue and was playing around with the swab for a little bit, but ended up working really well.
00:24:24.656 --> 00:24:28.016
Dave Latorra: So it's a really easy process for people to get those samples.
00:24:28.036 --> 00:24:29.796
Dave Latorra: It doesn't hurt the pet at all.
00:24:29.816 --> 00:24:33.636
Dave Latorra: By the time they're done being curious about it, you've already got their samples.
00:24:33.756 --> 00:24:35.536
Michelle Fern: I thought, you know, cheek swab.
00:24:35.596 --> 00:24:41.696
Michelle Fern: And if you watch any, you know, TV stuff, you know how in cop shows or a lot of stick a thing in and cheek.
00:24:41.996 --> 00:24:44.436
Michelle Fern: And I thought, oh, gosh, how am I going to do that?
00:24:44.576 --> 00:24:45.916
Michelle Fern: But no, it's like a stick.
00:24:46.376 --> 00:24:48.936
Michelle Fern: And most dogs and cats are curious.
00:24:49.136 --> 00:24:52.296
Michelle Fern: So they just want to chew it, you know, or like it.
00:24:52.416 --> 00:24:53.916
Michelle Fern: And boom, you're done.
00:24:53.936 --> 00:24:56.176
Michelle Fern: So I was shocked at how easy it is.
00:24:56.276 --> 00:24:58.136
Michelle Fern: It's like that's the easiest thing.
00:24:58.156 --> 00:25:07.076
Dave Latorra: Yeah, we've got some mini swabs and then the people actually literally break them off into the tube, which comes with a solution to help preserve the DNA.
00:25:07.096 --> 00:25:09.676
Dave Latorra: And we actually do the mailing, it's a three-way mailing.
00:25:09.696 --> 00:25:11.596
Dave Latorra: That's why it's a bit of a process.
00:25:11.636 --> 00:25:17.996
Dave Latorra: We first send you the collection kit, which is basically the swab and the tube and the instructions and a mailer.
00:25:18.016 --> 00:25:22.476
Dave Latorra: You send the tube with the swab broken off back to us at the lab.
00:25:22.896 --> 00:25:25.416
Dave Latorra: We do the processing, get it all turned around for you.
00:25:25.436 --> 00:25:27.176
Dave Latorra: Then we mail you your final product.
00:25:27.196 --> 00:25:32.516
Dave Latorra: So it is a three-way shipping thing, which we do include all the shipping in that and our pricing.
00:25:33.036 --> 00:25:39.516
Dave Latorra: But it's a process, but it's kind of like a holiday coming and a gift coming because you've kind of ordered it.
00:25:39.536 --> 00:25:43.036
Dave Latorra: But it does take a while because it is so special and so customized.
00:25:43.296 --> 00:25:45.036
Dave Latorra: But you're going to hang on to that.
00:25:45.116 --> 00:25:46.316
Dave Latorra: It's custom engraved.
00:25:46.336 --> 00:25:47.876
Dave Latorra: It's got Molly's DNA in it.
00:25:47.896 --> 00:25:48.916
Dave Latorra: And you're going to hold on to that.
00:25:48.936 --> 00:25:49.956
Dave Latorra: You're going to love that.
00:25:49.976 --> 00:25:50.996
Dave Latorra: You're going to treasure that.
00:25:51.016 --> 00:25:51.576
Michelle Fern: Of course.
00:25:51.856 --> 00:25:53.356
Michelle Fern: Well, Molly's about eight.
00:25:53.456 --> 00:25:54.496
Michelle Fern: She'll be eight soon.
00:25:54.816 --> 00:25:59.316
Michelle Fern: So hopefully she has a lot of life to her, but it's still nice to have that.
00:25:59.536 --> 00:26:01.436
Michelle Fern: It's always nice to have a piece of one.
00:26:01.456 --> 00:26:06.316
Michelle Fern: And I'm thinking, gosh, I wish I could, relatives that passed.
00:26:06.336 --> 00:26:09.056
Michelle Fern: Oh, I wish I had had that, their DNA.
00:26:09.076 --> 00:26:15.316
Michelle Fern: And I wish, but going forward, I could do that going forward, so I don't miss anyone.
00:26:15.496 --> 00:26:17.016
Michelle Fern: But it's a great idea.
00:26:17.036 --> 00:26:26.076
Michelle Fern: And I thank you so much for coming up with it, because it's a great way to have the ones that you love that are not with you, and just to bring peace to a lot of us.
00:26:26.296 --> 00:26:29.636
Michelle Fern: You know, you're missing your loved ones, and they're with you.
00:26:29.656 --> 00:26:32.856
Michelle Fern: They're with you in a picture frame, in a keepsake, on your arm.
00:26:32.876 --> 00:26:34.116
Michelle Fern: So it's wonderful.
00:26:34.456 --> 00:26:38.096
Michelle Fern: Is there anything you wanted to mention that I did not have a chance to ask?
00:26:38.416 --> 00:26:41.316
Stephanie Ford: I think it really is just creating connection.
00:26:41.456 --> 00:26:55.416
Stephanie Ford: And I think that's what Dave and I really started out with, of what we want more than anything else is just to provide people with the peace, the comfort of holding on to the one they love, and then really feel connected through science.
00:26:55.516 --> 00:27:00.656
Stephanie Ford: And that's the cool part of it, of just it's the heart and the science and bringing it together.
00:27:00.916 --> 00:27:01.756
Stephanie Ford: And that's our hope.
00:27:01.936 --> 00:27:07.916
Michelle Fern: Thank you so much, Stephanie and Dave, for coming on Cattitude and telling us all about DNA is Love.
00:27:08.136 --> 00:27:09.616
Dave Latorra: Thanks, we appreciate it, Michelle.
00:27:09.976 --> 00:27:11.976
Michelle Fern: I hope you really enjoyed this show.
00:27:11.996 --> 00:27:16.616
Michelle Fern: So many of us out there with cats want something special to remember them by.
00:27:16.636 --> 00:27:22.256
Michelle Fern: And usually getting any kind of a swab test or anything like that is so hard.
00:27:22.276 --> 00:27:28.516
Michelle Fern: This is super easy, and it's so wonderful to have Molly on a bracelet and that I can wear.
00:27:28.536 --> 00:27:29.276
Michelle Fern: I love it.
00:27:29.776 --> 00:27:34.896
Michelle Fern: So I am so happy to have had the founders of DNA is Love on the show.
00:27:34.916 --> 00:27:37.736
Michelle Fern: I want to thank everyone that listens to Cattitude.
00:27:38.136 --> 00:27:39.676
Michelle Fern: You guys rock my world.
00:27:39.696 --> 00:27:41.416
Michelle Fern: You are so loyal.
00:27:41.436 --> 00:27:42.696
Michelle Fern: I so appreciate it.
00:27:42.716 --> 00:27:44.056
Michelle Fern: So thank you so much.
00:27:44.556 --> 00:27:46.356
Michelle Fern: Thanks to Molly, my tester.
00:27:46.676 --> 00:27:48.096
Michelle Fern: She did a great job.
00:27:48.116 --> 00:27:51.896
Michelle Fern: She was a trooper and it was easy, way easier than I expected.
00:27:52.236 --> 00:27:57.176
Michelle Fern: Thanks to my producer, Mark Winter, for making me and my guests sound amazing.
00:27:57.756 --> 00:28:01.636
Michelle Fern: And hey, remember, lose the attitude, have Cattitude.
00:28:02.636 --> 00:28:08.636
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