24 years after Dolly the sheep – the first mammal ever to be successfully cloned from an adult cell – was born in Scotland, the pet cloning business is booming in the United States.
“Cloning is growing as fast as we can effectively manage the growth,” said Blake Russell, president of ViaGen, the only company in the U.S. offering pet cloning. As there is currently a five month waiting list.
The company was launched in 2002, focusing on the genetic preservation of horses and livestock. In 2015, the ViaGen Pets division was launched, offering its cloning services to cat and dog lovers. From 2017 to 2022, business doubled, the company told The Post, and Russell said it now clones roughly 200 pets a year.
Previously, those who wanted to clone pets had to go to South Korea, where the first dog – an Afghan Hound named Snoopy – was cloned in 2005.
Cloning is becoming increasingly popular. But also more expensive.
Austin, of New York, recently spent $50,400 to clone his Yorkshire terrier, Caesar, who died in January. Getting a new puppy from a breeder would not do.
“I couldn’t get another dog. I was so devastated and emotionally attached, and going through this was a way to get a piece of Caesar back,” the 60-year-old told The Post. “I wanted to continue his bloodline and he was neutered as a baby. The simple answer is that I didn’t want another dog. I wanted Caesar’s offspring. For me, it was the only way to move forward.”
To clone a pet, tissue cells are collected, cultured and frozen before or shortly after the animal’s death. ViaGen charges $150 a year, in addition to the initial collection fee of $1,600, for those who want to store frozen tissue samples.
To proceed with the cloning, the DNA from the sample is inserted into a donor egg from which the genetic material has been removed. The egg is then stimulated with electricity to encourage cell division. The resulting embryos are then transferred to a surrogate animal in the hope that at least one will develop. If the procedure is successful, the surrogate impregnates the clone—or potentially clones—for about two months, as is typical for dogs and cats, and gives birth to healthy puppies or kittens.
“The new animal has all the cells of your old dog,” Austin said.
The complex process involves surgery on two animals – both the egg donor and the surrogate – which has raised some ethical concerns.
Lauren Aston, a spokesperson for ViaGen, emphasizes that all animals involved are treated humanely. “We make sure they’re well taken care of,” she told The Post.
As for the health of the clones themselves, a 2016 study on the long-term health of cloned sheep published in the journal Nature Communications found that the animals age normally.
Austin is thrilled with the results. He has two embryos successfully implanted and his cloned puppies Julius and Henry are now 4 months old. Even at their tender age, he said they already bear a striking resemblance to his late pup.
“These guys have unbelievably similar features, mannerisms and reactions to Caesar’s, and they’re just puppies,” he says. “I still completely miss and cry for Caesar, but now I have a piece of him. These dogs have 100% of his cells and DNA – it’s almost a reincarnation.”
Although expensive, Russell said it’s not just wealthy pet lovers who are opting for cloning. At one point the company offered financing, but no longer does.
“We have a lot of middle-class people who tell us that the pleasure they get from their animals is worth more than the pleasure they get from a new car, for example,” he previously told The Post.
Kelly Anderson, an influencer and marketer who lives in Austin, Texas, took out a loan to afford cloning when her cat Chai died seven years ago.
“I took out a loan,” she said of paying for the procedure, which then cost $25,000. “It wasn’t money that came easily to me. I’m not rich by any means but it was worth every penny, absolutely… Chai was my soul mate, she understood me and was my everything. I have never bonded with another pet or human as I have with her.”
The resulting Belle cat looks identical to Chai. “I felt an instant connection and so much love,” she said. “Belle’s temperament is the same as Chai’s – they are bold, domineering and brash – complete ice queens,” writes glasnews.bg
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