Would You Clone Your Dog?
Wednesday June 18, 2008
Cloning has been a touchy subject for years. For some, it represents scientific progress. For others, it brings forth visions of a future that resembles Brave New World. Now, everyone seems to be buzzing about the recent cloning in South Korea of Marine, the cancer-sniffing Black Lab. About three weeks ago, Marine's clones were born to a surrogate mother. Their destiny: enter training to carry on the cancer-sniffing legacy.
Some may see this as a noble cause. Finding cancer early and by non-invasive means is a wonderful thing. Others are skeptical. What about you? Would you consider cloning your dog? How do you feel about cloning dogs? Take the poll!
Comments
its a good idea because then the owner won’t get hurt!
This assumes that the clones will be able to sniff out cancer without any further training. I very much doubt that’s the case. In my understanding, pretty much any dog with a nose can be trained to detect cancer. That being the case, I see no advantage to using cloned dogs – especially when shelters are euthanizing thousands of dogs a day.
A clone is not a copy of the original except for genetics. That means only the predisposition may be there for the clone to be like the original in demeanor and personality but its not a guarrantee. Every dog is different because of the experiences they have had such as training, handling, and life events.
I do support cloning for advantageous activities such as the cancer detection training where the clones would more likely be a better source of trainable dogs. For my own pets though I would rather chose another rescue adoption to give a new dog a chance for a better life while Ill always keep the cherished memories of my earlier dogs with me.
I lost my beloved Border Collie last year and the thought of having another one just like her would be a dream come true. HOWERVER, there are so many homeless dogs that are looking for someone to love them forever. I say go to your local rescue or shelter and look into those sad eyes. You surely will find one to take home and love. Cloning would just add more animals to the already over poulated shelters.
Cloning a pet would be too much like “Pet Sematary” to me. I love dogs more than people. And I absolutely, unconditionally love my dog, Hector. He is “priceless,” unique, a wonderful, wonderful companion. But would I clone him? No. Just like I wouldn’t clone my husband who passed away 6 years ago, and who was perfect for me in every way possible, and who is missed tremendously to the point of aching. I’ll wait till I see them both in heaven and at the Rainbow Bridge.
I thinks it’s ok with in reason. I know I recently lost my best friend and if i could clone her i would! I miss her so much.
If my dog didn’t have genetic health issues I would certainly want to clone him!
While cloning can certainly be of great use in advancement in medicine, individuals should not be cloned. I would never clone my dog and best friend. Just because her DNA would be identical, her personality would be very different. She would be raised very differently. At any point in her upbringing, she could become a ‘different’ dog. Environment is a key component of how an organism develops. And….who’s next, my sister? We should only use cloning to help with food (ie: crops) and possibly for cures for ailments. Only.
I currently live with a 5 dog pack. One of my dogs, Sammy, I found abandoned in the woods of Northern Minnesota, near where I live. He and his brother were left in a remote area. Both were already neutered, but skinny, dirty and scared.
I found a home for “Lucky” and kept Sammy in my pack. He is a VERY special little dog of unknown breed – probably some Eskimo, Cocker and who knows what else. He is the only dog I’ve known that I would love to have cloned. His sweet temperment and loving nature are almost not doglike. I could have given him to another home at least a hundred times, but since the day I met him he would not leave my side.
No way!
Than one that will only live a couple of days and cost you millons.
This saddens me..the dog will NOT be like the orginal like you guys hoped..sorry I would rather have the dog rest in peace than it’s DNA used to make another dog! Go on go to your sheleter and find a new best freind
Cloning=Creepy freaky and WRONG !!!!!
I don’t understand this at all. I have had many pets that I loved and wish they were still around, but I would NEVER clone anyone of them. There are so many animals that already don’t have homes! Every animal you will ever own will have a distinct personality, even if you clone it. Don’t clone an animal when there are plenty that needs a loving family. Plus who knows whats going to happen with these cloned animals. They have just recently started this cloning stuff.
My first reaction was “YES!” because my little ten year old dog is more special to me than any other dog I have ever had. He has helped me from being lonely through several years of illness by staying by my side continually. But then if I had him cloned, all I would get would be his look-a-like and not really him. He’s a one of a kind and not even a clone could take his place in my heart.
I can appreciate the technology, but the applications are questionable. There are dogs here now that need a good home, or need to be removed from a bad home. My neighbor sees his dogs as tools, and keeps them in cages 24 hours a day. They are let out maybe 1 day a month, for maybe 30 minutes. They are then yelled at, kicked and hit and denied any positive reinforcement. I don’t think they even have names. Yet society allows this to happen because he gives them food and water and they are not visibly ill.
And what exactly are we feeding our dogs? Do a little research about what goes into the commercial dog foods on the store shelves. Healthy pet foods can’t compete with the big companies, so their products don’t make it to the shelves. They must be bought online and shipped at high costs. Most people can only afford what they find in the store. Think about how dogs are dying from diseases like cancer and liver and kidney failure in record numbers. The cause? Diet, perhaps?
And Why should we clone an animal when thousands of the ones already here are sitting in cages waiting to be adopted and possibly loved. Or taken home to spend its entire life in a cage. Or on a 6 foot leash in the heat and cold and rain. Kicked, hit, ignored. Many are simply waiting to die.
We are failing the ones that are already here. Should we be spending our time and energy bringing more of them into the world? Or should we instead be making the world a much nicer place for the ones that are already here. Dogs, for some strange reason, love people. Unconditionally, they love us. As a domesticated animal, they are our responsibility. We owe them so much more than they are getting.
I don’t know about cloning, but dogs can be trained to do anything. Did we run out of dogs somewhere and I didn’t hear about it? No. A cloned dog at this time is merely a puppy with the same genetic makeup as its tissue donor. It still has to grow and learn. So don’t try telling me you need this dog cloned because of its specific training. It won’t be the same dog. Just the same lineage. Exactly the same. But it must still be trained. So why not help out a pup already here?
It’s the almighty dollar at play here. And usually when something is that expensive, it can’t be very altruistic in nature.
Uneducated people say
1) There are so many homeless dogs.
Solution => Everybody knows that well but what’s the point? Educate people not to abandon their dogs. That is nothing to do with a cloner to want a genetic copy. If you are concerned about dogs in shelters, train people to be responsible not to betray their mutts.
2) Cloning won’t get your dead dog back.
Solution => Who could misunderstand that dog cloning also copies memory and characteristic? Cloners just want same genetic copies. If you want a child, why don’t you adopt one out of so many poor chilren out there instead of having your own offspring? You cannot guarantee the clone will not be a very similar dog to the original. The clone is like an identical twin.
3) Cloning is fooling God.
Solution => Cloning process is a little bit more advanced technology than IVF. IVF is unethical? If the cloning compnay makes artificial living cell from dirt, then it fools God. Cloning just uses God’s masterpiece, living cells as raw material to make reprogramed embryos.
favorited this one, dude
IF YOU’VE GOT THE CASH,
CLONE THE DOG YOU LOVE!
I have a rescued mutt (one of three) with very questionable DNA. He is the best dog I’ve ever been around, everyone wants him. He is a model dog; great with kids and other pets, no barking (unless something is amiss) protective, mellow, and fabulous. If I had the money I would certainly clone him. He is such a mongrel that there is no chance of getting another dog even remotely like him. I am considering storing his DNA for the future when cloning costs drops to that of a new car. However, my sense of decency would require that I spend the same amount in donations to animal rescue organinzations.