Animal Sports Associations Against Cloning

It can be difficult to determine who to trust when forming an opinion on a controversial subject, but perhaps the safest route to take is to consult the experts. When it comes to pet cloning, the experts are those who know about breeding animals. Pet cloning proponents advocate cloning your pet as a form of selective breeding to single out those dogs or cats best suited to a particular job or environment. Animal sports associations, though, groups for which selective breeding is a norm, do not agree that animal cloning will result in superior animals and have begun to adopt stances against animal cloning.

The popular opinion among animal sports associations is that to clone the best of each breed or category raises the likelihood of those clones being bred with each other. This causes inbreeding and weakens the species. Spokeswoman Ellen Harvey of the United States Trotting Association says, “"If you breed the same horses over and over again, I don't know that you are making a long-term improvement in the breed." The American Bucking Bull Inc. and American Quarter Horse Association echo that sentiment, as each association forbids clones from registering. Clones are not allowed in greyhound, harness horse, or quarter horse racing. The American Kennel Club has not yet made a ruling on the topic of dog clones, but after review, has concluded the majority opinion to be against it.

Although the companies who make money by cloning your pet would have you believe that pet cloning is beneficial to humans, that result would likely be short-lived. Cloning animals from others that are appropriate for a specific purpose and then breeding them toward that same goal significantly shrinks the gene pool of the species. It is clear that smaller gene pools lessen species' chances of survival. If the goal is to have animals help humans, then it is in our best interest to protect the existence of the species. Cloning your pet does the opposite.