People Are Cloning Their Dogs To Continue Their Legacy

As we all know, social media is always full of images of people’s dogs. On the anniversary of their passing, memories are shared of their late, beloved pet. However, some people have gone one step further after the much-loved dog dies. They are now cloning the animal, to continue their pet’s legacy in an identical mutt. Does this honor their late dog, or is it disrespectful to the animal? With the number of dogs awaiting adoption in rescue centers around the world, wouldn’t it be better to rescue your next pet?

People are cloning their dogs and cats

TODAY gave the example of Courtney Udvar-Hazy, who now has a wolf-dog named Phoenix. The new dog looks identical to her late pet, Willow, who died after being hit by a car.

Basically, Udvar-Hazy’s veterinarian harvested a skin sample from Willow after she died. Then, in a process similar to human IVF, a cloned embryo is grown in the uterus of a surrogate dog. Nine months later, the female dog gave birth to six Willow clones.

Speaking to TODAY, the dog owner said that Willow was just “insanely special.” She said she was her soul dog and that she wanted Willow’s bloodline and her legacy to continue.

Despite this, Phoenix is not the same animal as Willow, but are more like identical twins sharing similar genetics. Udvar-Hazy said she went into the process with “zero expectation.” She said she knew it would be similar to identical twins in humans. In fact, Phoenix is a “completely different animal, completely different soul, completely different personality.” However, genetically, the two dogs are identical.

Another woman told TODAY that some people might go out a find a lot of value in buying a car. She said, she found a lot of value in carrying on a piece of her cat.

Who does the cloning?

ViaGen Pets & Equine is based in Texas and is one of a number of companies that clone dogs, cats and horses. In fact, since 2015, they have cloned more than 1,000 animals. Nowadays, they expect more influencers to get into the trend.

Their client service manager, Melain Rodriguez said that a handful of their clients have a strong social media presence. Due to the very nature of social media, they believe the trend will definitely grow.

However, the process doesn’t exactly come cheap. Apparently, it costs around $50,000 for dogs, $35,000 for cats and $85,000 for horses. Meanwhile, on top of that, it can cost quite a bit to store the late pet’s cells.

‘Important welfare concerns’

While social media influencers feel this is the way to go, pet cloning does have its critics. For instance, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has cited “important welfare concerns” over the practice. In fact, many pet rescues are against the whole idea. Obviously, pet rescues want people to adopt the thousands of rescued pets, looking for a good home.

However, ViaGen supports the practice, with Rodriguez saying these are “very special pets” that their client loves above everything else. In fact, she added that it is a member of the family for them.

According to Udvar-Hazy, a lot of people do think the process is disrespectful to the dog’s life. They say that they are “playing God.” She does understand that perspective as well. She added that she doesn’t believe cloning should become a trend, In fact, she hopes it doesn’t because she doesn’t believe this is something that should be overdone.

Readers, do you believe it is disrespectful to clone your beloved pet? Isn’t it better to mourn your lost friend and after a respectful time, give a loving home to another dog, cat or horse?

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Pets right now. Come back here often for more news, tips, and updates about dogs.