Do you consider cloning of a loved one to be ethical? Would you ever consider cloning your dog? If your answer to cloning your dog is “yes” would you collect the needed cells before or after their death? Would your ethical beliefs on cloning in general guide the decision as to when you would want to have the cells collected?
All of this is part of a very heavy topic, right? Is this something you have ever even considered doing? If you start to see celebrities or social media influencers cloning their dogs, would you be more likely to consider cloning your dog?
Is Cloning Your Dog Even Possible?
What do you think? Is this just wishful thinking on the part of people who really love their dogs and who never want to have to finally say goodbye to them? What is the science behind the claims that this can be done?
WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:
- Your dog’s cells can now be collected and cloned to produce an identical copy of your beloved pet.
- A number of social media influencers have already taken advantage of the cloning procedure.
- Unsurprisingly, ETA has issued a statement condemning the cloning of pets.
Cloning pets is one of the social media influencers’ latest topics of interest.
One example of a social media influencer cloning her “soul dog” is Courthey Udvar-Hazy. She revealed to TODAY that she had her dog cloned four years ago and the dog died. Actually, she had 6 clones created of Willow at that time. She chose a company named ViaGen Pets & Equine. The company collects and preserves your pet’s cells and the clones them.
Quoting Udvar-Hazy on Cloning Her Dog
“Willow was just insanely special. She was my soul dog. I wanted her bloodline and her legacy to continue,” said Udvar-Hazy. “I went into it with zero expectation. I knew that it would be similar to identical twins in humans. Completely different animal, completely different soul, completely different personality, but genetically identical.”
How do they afford to keep cloning their pets?
Udvar-Hazy makes money from her social media. This allows her to keep the account with Willow’s clones up to date since the cloning procedure. According to TODAY, another social media influencer, Kelly Anderson, also cloned her pet. Her her cat Chai died at a young age and was cloned at that time. Anderson now manages her monetized Instagram account with the animal’s clone.
You can decide if you think the decision to clone the cat was based on love of the cat or love of having a monetized blog. Just how skeptical are you? What do you think that PETA would say about cloning your dog or cat?
What does cloning your dog cost? Can an ordinary dog lover afford to clone their beloved fur baby?
ViaGen, which is based in Texas, currently charges the following amounts:
- $50,000 to clone a dog,
- $35,000 to clone a cat, and
- $85,000 to clone a horse.
As more influencers become clients, ViaGen anticipate that their prices will be affordable to regular pet owners sooner rather than later. “There are a handful of our clients that have a social media presence,” said Melain Rodriguez, ViaGen’s client service manager. “That’s definitely going to grow.”
Not only have social media influencers cloned their pets. A number of other celebrities have also chosen to clone their beloved pets. One example is Barbra Streisand. In February 2018, she revealed that she had previously had cells extracted from her dog Samantha, who passed in 2017 for the sole purpose of creating a number clones from Samantha.
Streisand posted a photo of Scarlet and Violet, her two cloned pups. They are sitting close to Samantha’s grave a year later. There is a third dog sitting in the center of the photo. Samantha’s breeder gave Streisand her second dog, Fanny. The caption read, “The twins Scarlet and Violet honoring their mom.”
What does PETA have to say about cloning your dog? How about the ASPCA?
Upon hearing Streisand’s proclamation that Scarlet and Violet are clones, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk responded. She issued a statement to Page Six in opposition to cloning animals. She stated that “cloning adds to the homeless-animal population crisis” because other animals remain in shelters.
In their statement, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) also condemned the cloning of pets. They cited “important welfare concerns.” The ASPCA also stated that a “scientific and ethical analysis of the procedures and practices” of cloning is needed.
Source: People
