The Truth About Cloning Cats and Dogs

When I first read about the controversial topic of pet cloning, I was shocked by the incomplete and inaccurate statements on the topic that were published on the Internet. Purveyors of such services would have consumers believe that to clone your pet is to extend time with a beloved friend. These merchants mislead and prey on grieving pet lovers. When an animal is created through the cloning process, it bears the genetic information of the original animal as well as the surrogate mother that carries it to term. Also important to consider is the influence of environment and experience on personality. Thus, there is no guarantee that pet cloning will result in an animal that resembles the original animal in appearance or personality.

Proponents of animal cloning claim that the cloning process increases scientific knowledge of animal as well as human physiology. What they fail to mention is that the research involved in pet cloning is for reproductive, not therapeutic purposes. It is done purely to further the purpose of reproduction through the cloning process, and not to find potential cures to diseases and genetic abnormalities. It does not benefit animals or humans. In fact, as pet cloning is done for solely commercial purposes, it exploits animals. Research and procedures involved in pet cloning are not publicly regulated, so it is unknown whether advances made are beneficial to any scientific, non-commercial community or entity.

Considering the millions of homeless cats and dogs that are euthanized each year, it is irresponsible for "clone your pet" companies to create more through a cloning process. For each animal that is created as a clone of another, one less has the potential to be adopted from an overcrowded animal shelter. Furthermore, the exorbitant amount of money that will be spent to create that one animal would go a long way to help thousands of shelter dogs and cats.

I have difficulty seeing this issue as a debate of cloning pros and cons. When it comes to cloning animals for commercial purposes, the only benefit is the money made by cloning companies. Consumers wrongly believe that a loved one will be brought back to life, while millions of dogs and cats that have already been born naturally wait in shelters to be adopted. Meanwhile, "clone your pet" companies justify their actions by claiming to work toward the betterment of animals and humans. I can only hope that potential customers will do their own research on the topic, rather than falling for clever marketing.