What is the cost of a copy?

THE BUSINESS OF KEEPING LOVE ALIVE

ViaGen Pets, the titan of the American pet cloning industry, claims that pet cloning is "the science of keeping love alive." For an animal lover who has lost a pet or who knows that the time to say goodbye is coming, the prospect of keeping that familiar face present is incredibly appealing. Any loving pet owner would wish for just one more day with their best friend, and this is the center of ViaGen's pitch. Companies like ViaGen look to meet consumers in their most sentimental states. 

In a story ViaGen publishes on their own website, the owner of a dog named Peach describes prayers of one day being able to afford ViaGen's services to "bring her dog back." The pitch is that, for $50,000 (or $85,000 for a horse), ViaGen can reunite a pet owner with their loved one.

A CLONE IS NEVER THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL

Despite promises of reuniting with a loved one, cloned pets do not actually share the same features as the animal from which they are cloned. While they share the same DNA, how their phenotype or physical appearance manifests can vary, even among clones in the same litter.

Furthermore, clones have a mind of their own. They do not behave the same way as the animal from which they were cloned. While they may have similar tendencies, they are for most intents and purposes, a different animal who just happens to look similar to a cherished friend.

THE ANIMALS BEHIND THE SALE

The commercial pet cloning industry presents itself as a noble venture, reuniting loved ones. Behind the curtain, however, are the animals that make that sale possible. Egg donors undergo procedures to collect eggs, and surrogates receive embryos and face the risks of pregnancy and birth. This is an extremely costly service that requires the involvement of multiple different animals. There is little transparency provided to the public about who these animals are, where they came from, and what happens to them after being retired (and there are conflicting statements about when retirement conditions are met.)

COMMERCIAL PET CLONING NEEDS TO GO

Commercial pet cloning is an unnecessary practice that treats animals as scientific experiments without a compelling reason. The same state-of-the-art technology that could instead be used to help conserve endangered species is used to produce a genetic copy of a beloved pet. While the chance to see a familiar face again can mean a great deal to a pet owner, that benefit is too limited to justify putting egg donors and surrogates through invasive procedures and the risks they carry.

If commercial pet cloning is to continue, lawmakers need to require pet cloning businesses to publish independently verified figures to show exactly how many animals are involved, what procedures they undergo, what complications arise, and what happens to them after the process.

There are plenty of pets to adopt.

A person does not need a science experiment to be performed to find their new best friend.