thoughts on cloning a pet
 

Ok this may seem slightly insane, but a few months ago when i had the crap scared out of me by ppl saying my puppy stitch may have a genetic deformity, i transferred a chunk of cash from one of my savings accounts and began a bank account for stitch immediately just like my daughters college fund except to cover any medical costs for stitchy. Now that i feel more safe about her health i am wondering what i should do with the account once im 100% sure shes ok. Then my brilliant daughter said, "lets clone her. That way when i get out of college we dont have to fight over who she lives with, and we can have puppies from her since shes alrdy spayed!" Im kind of split on the idea, while id never want another dog and i doubt any would ever measure up to stitchy for us. It seems kinda weird but great at the same time. I read where a lady had this done for 50k, i could easily swing the cash its more ethics that has me questioning it. Chey wants a full litter of stitch clones lol, while i dont know exactly how many viable embryos are made or inseminated etc, i plan on finding out. We both had a blast last night discussing it and imagining a house full of baby stitchies, her giggling, me horrified heh. But i wanted some other opinions, my sister n momma think im nuts, but both agreed if one of their pups were sick theyd happily pay 50k to save them. I dont know that there is a difference between spending a huge sum of cash to save your beloved pet and spending the same to reinvent your lost pet, but it seems like there should be. tho this would be more like doing it to settle custody heh. I just cant seem to put my finger on what bothers me about the idea. It isnt the costs, so its gotta be some hidden moral or ethic heh. Id appreciate any feedback or yalls thoughts on it.....shawn n stitchy

I love my babies and I have had some great dogs, including a poodle/ pug mix who was the perfect dog. Misty lived to be over 20 years old and was never sick a day in her life. I cherish the memories of each of my pups but I would not want to clone them. I would rather look forward to getting to know the personality of each new puppy and love to be surprised at how they turn out as adult.

I can understand wanting to clone a beloved pet though. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Sounds like a fun conversation, within your house. I think, even if you were to clone Stitch, it wouldn't be the same dog or personality so not necessarily worth going to the trouble or expense to do so. I reference back to the basic nature vs nurture theories. You might be able to replicate the nature end of the deal but there's no way to EXACTLY duplicate the nurture end, it could be close but not exact. It would never be the same dog.
Good for conversation though!

Did the bear show up again? Did ya figure out how to get photos reduced easily with out losing too much quality?

I would think most people want "the entire package" when cloning their pet.....cloning will be a genetic carbon copy, but it is the personality that has developed inside a beloved pet, that make that pet 'the total package". Personality is not cloned iinto your copy, per se. You may have the genetic predisposition for calmness or friendliness, or a tendency to want to snuggle or a more guard dog type personality.....personality that we adore in our pets, their adorable little looks, little quirks, little "smiles" or "grins" or attempts to "talk" is more a learned response to environment the pet grew up in. If you have a show dog that is a drop dead gorgeous, stupifying, breath taking, almost perfect example of what a Yorkie LOOKS like, walks like, perfect stride, unbelieveable silky coat, perfect ear set, stunning eyes, terrier disposition, etc....THAT is a dog in MY opinion, you would want to clone! The "Perfect Yorkie"....I am not up to date on research that has been done into breeding clones.....seems I remember there was some kind of issue with how long these clones live. I think if pressed, people that have cloned a beloved pet, are probably disappointed to some degree, because while that clone looks exactly like the beloved pet, down to the cell structure in every single cell in that pup, the little quircks, the little playful antics, the quizical little head cocks are all learned traits that probably are not there in the clone. If you have a burning desire to clone a pet, take some of that good money, attend some shows and understand exactly what a Yorkie should be, from fantastic, PROVEN, established breeders that have worked to develop lines that carry "the look" and "the personality dispositions" that are strong and go from year to year to year down their breeding lines.....show that dog, make that particular dog the best it has the potential to possibly be, and then clone THAT dog! Then breed THAT dog! Short of that, love Stitchy now, and when Stitchy is gone, adore Stitchys memory! (Sorry about the long paragraph....hope you do not have any trouble reading it!)

I totally understand the desire to clone your fur babies, I really do. I *love* my kiddos to beyond and back, and I've even thought about cloning myself bc it's come up here before, and I can't help but be interested in having my same babies with me forever. I don't know that I'd ever truly go through with it though...but it's very intriguing!

I don't know enough about cloning to know if their personalities would be the same or...? I just don't know. Have you read anything about that part of it?

Personally, I don't think it's morally or ethically "wrong". What I would most worry about is your expectations that you'd have for a cloned pet vs. the reality of it (ie, can their personalities be totally different and what you'd want in terms of that).

I agree about the personality part, it would be a much differnt pup than stitchy. Stitch arrived to us during a very wild time, and her first summer we moved n she was the kids only buddy till school began, with the kid driving etc now she wouldnt get the same attention or experiences. Just like identical twins are much different, so would a clone, i think thats my biggest hang up over it. It is a pretty cool idea but it has many negatives to it, especially with the kid, she will be expecting a carbon copy of stitch, and we have many years left b4 we have to decide but im a planner lol, i hate random unforeseen financial issues heh.
yorkiemom1 - i dunno ive always thought every dog was perfect in some way. Our ancestors bred them for a reason, usually a need in their lives, from protecting livestock from wolves to killing vermin. The human race owes both dogs and horses a monsterous debt, we wouldnt be the society we are without the assistance of both species. Ive seen breathtaking mutts and ugly pure breds, its the same with horses. I could go on for hours about genetics, mother nature vs human selective breeding, but look at the speed and agility of wild "substanderd" non pure bred horses and then compare many of those to thoroughbred race horses. Now many registeries offer papers on a "mutt" if the horse proves itself to be of exceptional ability. I think eventually other species registries will follow suit. dont get me wrong, i own registered quarter horse paints, stitch is supposed to be full blooded yorkie as well, but a perfect puppy, i dont think any dog lover is able to not see adorable when they look at any puppy heh. And adorable = perfect heh. I do understand about stance and form etc, my horses are shown and im working on our first racing horses now, but i just disagree with rhose making a pup perfect, my best placing horse is mean as heck unless at a show, it does make them look good, but my opinion is(and i just discovered this, thank u so much, i can finally put it in words) my opinion is that what makes a dog perfect is exactly why cloning stitch wouldnt work. Its who they are, the journey youve had together. The changes u see in the pup and how its changed you. Its who they are heh.
dangit my cellphone wont let me scroll up and reread what all i typed, i normally gotta change stuff etc. If i sound grouchy is wasnt meant i was thinking and typing at the same time. If i did i apologize. Anyways i really appreciate everyones posts, i think i finally know what it was that bothered me about the idea, stitch has changed me alot, as i said b4, when i got her i thought any dog that couldnt hunt or protect you basically below 100lbs wasnt worth having. Shes not only changed me but many of my friends now have small pups, plus some no longer leave their dogs outside 24//7. Noway they could clone that....im surprised that im kinda sad at that thought. Gonna go roughhouse with my pup and spoil her absolutely rotten, might even take her to the shelter so she can play....hope yalls having a wonderful day...shawn n stitch

OMG yorkiesmom1 my post seemed kinda uppity towards u, im so sorry i just meant to disagree. I reread that and felt like a chump who needs to whoop himself heh. Again im sorry for how it came across. And nopem Mark i still havent figured out the photo thing n the kid wants a kings ransom to assist heh, but my neighbor had a run in with the bear, he hunts on my land as he only has 5 acres, so after his teasing about my running away, i snuck to my megastand n poured yummy goodness all over the area about 15 mins b4 he gets home from work, his wife laughed her butt off since he came home pale n called his pop to borrow a bigger rifle lol. But i let them know the conservation should be coming sometime soon to transport the big thing to a new home. Not allowed to shoot it unless hes in danger. He hasnt hunted again yet lol. Gonna call the DNR again tomorrow, funny how theyd show up n kill it but to save it yup they take their time...

I love how you said this...

"....but my opinion is(and i just discovered this, thank u so much, i can finally put it in words) my opinion is that what makes a dog perfect is exactly why cloning stitch wouldnt work. Its who they are, the journey youve had together. The changes u see in the pup and how its changed you. Its who they are "

I doubt that I would do it. It seems to me an effort to get something that you really can't have. The dog would be the same genetically, but it would not be him exactly.
Also, this is just my personal take on the cost. I could not bring myself to pay 50K for a dog when there are lots of yorkies out there who could use a good home. I personally would give the 50K to a worthy cause.
That said, it's not up to me what another person spends his or her money on, but you asked about ethics, and the cost presents an ethical issue too, I think.

For me it seems like it would make Joel less special if I just made a new one if something happened to him. I never really liked the idea of cloning anyway.

Just cloning your pet is not going to make them the same they will just appear the same they will not act like the dog you love so it can be disappointing. I do think it's a crazy thing. I also know issues pop up with dogs their whole lives so you probably will still need that money.

A berry fed bear is delicious! Funny about the neighbor! Are you using your camera or phone for the photos? You can do it!

This seems very Stephen King (Pet Cemetaryish) to me. Although I love my dog and I have loved all my past pets however cloning seems like a big waste of money even if I had the resources to do it.

if I had 50,000 lying around and I could be 100% sure she would look and act like Lola I would do it in a heart beat, Lola is my 5th small dog and I have to say she is the best dog I have had or met so I would clone her in a second. Unfortunately I don't have 50K laying around and I am not sure if it would be 100% Lola.

Thats what me n my momma came to a few hours ago, she called thinking about snickers, while we would both do it to extend their lives, IE- a doggy youth shot lol, or if they needed it medically, she said and i quote, "ill slap u stupid boy!!" End quote lmfao. Financially i have alot of options with savings, i am 100% service connected disabled from the military, plus not long after discharge i got hit by a commercial vehicle. Between the settlement n VA pay each month im comfortable. But sometimes i get bored n stupid with cash n need slapped lol. Now my daughter tho shes putting up a fight on the side of cloning heh. She wants the DNA test and if stitch proves full blooded she put out the option we could breed medium sized yorkies. Even pulled out her feel guilty daddy n gimme my way face lol. With her love of animals and biology (she is going to be a geneticist and work thru to being a large animal vet as well, and is in the top .5% of high schoolers academically. She chose the vet thing at age 7 n hasnt waivered, shes gonna graduate with enuff transfer credits to have assoc. Done and part of bachelors. Its gonna be a brawl i think lmao. Dang kid is almost as stubborn as i am, more so when it comes to animals... i had to donate to save the prarie dog ppl b4 shed quit bawling about a show she watched, when her ferret died she did the guilt thing, entire funeral, had to pay half my evil family to attend n pretend to grieve lol. Cost me a new 4 foot deep 6 foot tall by 6 foot wide cage, 2 new masked ferrets, a funeral, paying attending ppl, b4 she quit being sad, n i despised that thing. It hated me bit me etc. Itd been an easy decision if she wanted to clone that demonic rodent and i luv ferrets. Just not that monstrosity. So any advice on how to deter a 16 year old girl (almost 17) whose finally asserting herself and jumping into adult stuff without a negative impact lol.....shawn
Ps stitch is on her side, she is all loving the kid, i aint even allowed to pet her. She finally ate her food but no licks, no lovin, she waited till i left the room the gobbled her sausages also lol. The whole hoise is mad at me dangit heh