Recreating Your Best Friend: What is Pet Cloning?

A family with their pet (2).

Do you have a pet or have you had a pet? If so, would you consider them as a part of your family? Many adults (and even some children) see their pets as not only their best friends but as their children. When it comes to the delicate time to accept that the pet is not going to live as long as we want them to, some people consider cloning their pets. Thanks to developments in cloning, it's becoming possible to recreate a person's pet. 

WHAT IS CLONING?
CLONING is defined as "a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity" (1). In other words, it is the copy of an animal that is genetically similar to the original animal. Scientists use a SURROGATE MOTHER as an incubator for the cloned animal. A clone is created by taking the DNA from an animal, of which scientists call the DONOR ANIMAL or merely the original animal. The DNA is then implanted into the empty egg provided by the donor animal. In the diagram below, you can see how the complicated process flows through its system. If you want a more in-depth look at the cloning process, click here to find out just how detailed it is.

Cloning flowchart (1).

DETAILS ABOUT PET CLONING 

Snuppy the Afgan Hound(right),the first dog to be cloned, Sitting
with his clone (9). 

Pet cloning became a reality after South Korean veterinarian Dr. Woo Suk Hwang cloned the first dog in August 2005 (3).  Many laboratories have stepped forward to partake in the science of cloning animals. Some facilities are Viagen in Texas, United States, and SOOAM near Seoul, South Korea. For your dog to be cloned at SOOAM, it cost about $100,000 (4). While at Viagen, it costs $50,000 for cloned puppy or puppies, $25,000 for a cloned kitten or kittens, and a little over $1,000 for the company to store the genetic information of your pet (4). To put that into perspective, the average dog adoption from an animal shelter is about $250 (5) and to adopt a dog from a breeder ranges from as low as $150 to $15,000 depending on the distance between you and the breeder (6). 

EXPERIENCES FROM PEOPLE WHO HAD THEIR PET CLONED

Figure 4: (In order) Ken, Harvey, and Melvin (4). 

But people who get their pet cloned say that they find that cloning their pet was worth the economic sacrifice. Veterinarian Dr. Phillip Dupont recalled that his son expressed "At least you are spending your money on something you love" (4). It shows just how much a pet means to a person and what a clone will do for a person. Dr. Dupont trusted SOOAM to clone his dog, Melvin in 2013 (4). In figure four, there is a picture of Melvin and his two clones, Ken and Harvey. The one detail that gives away which one is the original is the gray on the muzzle of the dog on the far right. As you can see, there is little difference between Ken's (left) markings on his muzzle and the others, but Mrs. Dupont reported that her dogs act the same. She said "Melvin used to come over and rest his head on my lap and look up until I started asking what he wanted. When I came to the right question, he would wiggle around, shake and sneeze. ... The puppies do exactly the same thing, and the have the exact bark" (4). This is a way to help cope with the loss of their best friend and family member. A woman from California had her beloved cat, Dylan, cloned after he had padded way suddenly. Of the experience, she said: "Dylan took a piece of me with him. Until now I thought that piece was irreplaceable" (4). Would you explain the relationship with your pet as irreplaceable as Dawn found it? Pet cloning gives people the "missing piece" they feel that they lose when their pet dies. 

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH CLONING YOUR PET?
As therapeutic, or calming, as it might be, pet cloning has become an issue with animal welfare groups the Humane Society of America and PETA have made statements against pet cloning. The overall concern for these groups, and groups like them, is the efficiency of cloning due to the high chances of failures throughout the cloning process (7). But scientists are hopeful that as technology advances, the failure rate will decrease and have more successful clone births (7). Science is continuously improving its technology and understanding of concepts, who knows what is next in the cloning community?

Another concern PETA argued that although people want their original pet, it "instead creates a new and different [pet] who had only the physical characteristics of the original" (8). The groups fear that people's emotional state is being taken advantage of by convincing people that they can recreate their pet exactly. This "false advertisement" concern is not a concern for some labs. Genetic Savings and Clone claims that they give their clients "informed consent" where they tell the person what to expect with their clone before they sign any paperwork to agree (7). 

Animal rights groups are concerned about the high
rates of animals in shelters (11)

Lastly, animal rights groups are worried about the high rates of animals in shelters. Groups question why people would pay high prices for the pet they already had when there are thousands of available animals in shelters waiting for a home. That was a concern that Rick Eisenberg told the New York Post about. He said that he sent his dog Rusty's DNA to Viagen to hold until he decides if he wants to clone his companion (4). He is questioning cloning his dog since Rusty was rescued from a kill shelter, he wants to help a dog in the same situation (4). He acknowledged that "I could rescue so many other animals" (4). That is the concern for many other people. But in Autumn Fiester's article Creating Fido's Twin: Can Pet Cloning Be Ethically Justified?, she claims that the problem isn't animals that are being "intentionally created" rather its the puppy and kitten mills across the country. A PUPPY MILL is where people breed puppies and sell them. The dogs are typically in horrible conditions and are bred continuously.  (10). Puppy mills along with kitten mills place thousands of animals into shelters numerous times a year. Her argument is the more significant issue, puppy and kitten mills, must be taken care of first before animal rights groups can argue how cloning pets are adding to animals in the shelter. 

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, cloning is still a new science that has room to expand. Many people are still wary about spending thousands to recreate their best friend and family member. Cloning your pet may be an idea your family is considering doing. If you are, be sure that they are aware of all the of the factors of cloning and do your research. Discuss cloning your pet or adopting an animal from a local shelter is the best solution for your family's needs and desires. 

References
1) Cloning. (2017). In National Human Genome Research Institute. Retrieved April 9, 2018, from https://www.genome.gov/25020028/cloning-fact-sheet/
2) [A family with their pets]. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://blog.petcarerx.com/exploring-the-role-of-pets-in-the-modern-family-dynamic/#
3) Cyrankoski, D. (2014, January). Cloning comeback. Nature, 505, 468-470
4) Landman, B. (2015, October 31). I spent more than $100,000 to clone my dog. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2015/10/31/i-spent-more-than-100000-to-clone-my-dog/
5) Rivera, M. A. (2017, November 21). The average cost to adopt a dog from a shelter. Retrieved from https://pets.thenest.com/average-cost-adopt-dog-shelter-3886.html
6) How much does buying a dog cost? - CostHelper.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2018, from http://pets.costhelper.com/buy-dog.html
7) Fiester, A. (2005). Creating Fido’s twin: can pet cloning be ethically justified?. Hastings Center Report, 35(4), 34-39. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/
8) Hood, B. (2018, February). PETA wants celebrities to stop cloning their dogs. Page Six. Retrieved from https://pagesix.com/2018/02/27/peta-wants-celebrities-to-stop-cloning-their-dogs/
9) [Snuppy, (R) the first successfully cloned Afghan hound, sits with his genetic father at the Seoul National University on Aug. 3, 2005 in Seoul]. (2015, April 24). Retrieved May 4, 2018, from http://time.com/3822573/snuppy/
10) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2018, April 25). Puppy Mill. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puppy%20mill
11) George, J. (2015, March 23). [Cartoon dogs around the words "Rescue me!"]. Retrieved May 4, 2018, from https://www.facebook.com/tullahomaanimalshelter/photos/a.165128040172540.36965.165121893506488/953804821304854/?type=1&theater