Booger: Another Cloned Hero

Bernann McKinney's dog, Booger, saved her life when she was brutally attacked by another dog. Even though the dog was three times his size, Booger managed to scare him off. Both McKinney and Booger sustained injuries, hers more serious than the dog's. When Booger was fully recovered, he went to work helping McKinney recover. Although he was not trained as a service dog, he learned to help her remove shoes and clothing, pull her wheelchair, fetch things for her, and open doors for her. Booger is a wonderful example of why it can be a good idea to clone a pet. It takes a special dog to step up and be more than a companion in trying times, and Booger was just the dog to do so. It would be difficult to find a better argument for having a pet cloned.

When Booger died in 2006, McKinney reached out to the Korean biotechnology firm RNL Bio with a request to have her pet cloned. The firm succeeded last year, producing five descendants of Booger, created through the cloning process. McKinney has decided to keep three of the dogs as her own and donate two of them as service dogs to work with people who have special needs.

Deciding whether it is right to clone your pet is a major decision. In McKinney's case, it was an easy one. Starting the cloning process was a bit more complicated – McKinney had legal difficulties getting Booger's genetic material to the cloning company and had to sell her house to pay for the procedure. However, as McKinney concluded, using the cloning process to make dogs like Booger is, without a doubt, helpful to her and to other humans. Booger's triumphant story of overcoming his owner's attacker and then helping her through a long recovery process is proof that our society should support the cloning process and related technology.

Pet Cloning Not Immoral

As the topic of pet cloning becomes more widely discussed and debated, those who oppose it spread unfounded arguments about why you should not clone your pet. Two of the most commonly used arguments against pet cloning are based on faulty reasoning. Opponents of pet cloning say that the cloning process is unethical because companies that will clone your pet deceive consumers and because large homeless pet populations should be adopted before new pets are created. These may both be arguable points, but they do not prove that pet cloning should be eliminated.

It is unfair for naysayers to claim that you should be unable to clone your pet because pet cloning companies offer a product that may not be exactly what consumers expect. The use of false advertising does not automatically make a product immoral. Sexualized commercials for beer or cologne imply that these products will make consumers more attractive. The fact that the products do not cause such results does not mean that they should be pulled from shelves. Perhaps pet cloning companies indulge in false advertising by refraining from disclosing the possible results of the cloning process, but that does not make pet cloning unethical.

Another popular argument against pet cloning is that there is a large number of homeless pets that are currently in animal shelters. There is no denying that this is the case. However, this is an invalid argument against pet cloning. Pet cloning does not increase the amount of animals that are in animal shelters. The cloning process results in one animal for each consumer. Activists to whom shelter overcrowding is worrisome should take issue with breeders and puppy mills.

The problem with the arguments that are currently being made against pet cloning is that they are largely based on opinion. While it is understandable that people would form strong opinions on topics such as this, it is unfair to place bans on things because of differing values and opinions.

Taking Another Step Forward

In the brief history of human existence, many amazing scientific advancements have been attained that have made life easier. Emerging technologies are not always welcomed wholeheartedly by society, and in fact, they are often controversial or even feared when they are first introduced. Currently, to clone your pet is a controversial action, but cloning technologies are the next big step in humanity's journey, and pet cloning is playing a huge role in the development of the cloning process.

When the automobile was first introduced as a form of transportation, people were afraid of its power. Soon, though, they realized the advantages of the car that would make their everyday lives so much better. The same will be said of pet cloning and the cloning process. As a result of research done on pet cloning, scientific knowledge has been gained about cloning technologies that will help suffering humans.

The cloning process offers many potential benefits to the human race. Scientists are beginning to learn how to clone replacement body parts for those who have defects or have been affected by disease. These advancements have been made possible in large part by pet cloning. In order to clone animals, experts must learn about their physiologies and about how the cloning process works. Thus, if you clone your pet, you contribute money to research done in the field, and that research leads to breakthroughs in benefits to humans.

Science fiction movies have provided a scary and unrealistic view of the cloning process. In reality, though, cloning is another exciting scientific breakthrough for humankind. It was preceded by many other controversial advancements, and will surely not be the last of its kind. As a society, we need to embrace the ability to clone your pet as a meaningful and valuable addition to our scientific abilities.

New Hope for Transplant Hopefuls

In light of the recent attention paid to the subject of human stem cell research, it seems appropriate to highlight the potential benefits to humans of cloning animals. In order to clone your pet, scientists have done extensive research on canine and feline physiology and the cloning process, and continue to do so. This research broadens the knowledge base on the subject of cloning animals and humans, and increases the potential for scientists to use cloning technology in the treatment of human ailments. As animal cloning technology advances, it becomes clear that medicine and humankind will benefit from advancements made.

One result of such research is the ability of scientists to perform xenotransplantation, which is transplantation from one species to another. The advancement of this process will allow scientists to grow human cells, tissues, or organs in other species and then transplant them to humans. Scientists have already been able to grow a tiny human heart in a mouse's body, and plans are underway for a cow to produce human blood to be used in transfusion. This is a significant victory for medicine. At any given time, tens of thousands of people are waiting for organ transplants in the United States alone. The ability of humans to receive organs from non-human donors would dramatically decrease that number. The same companies that will clone your pet are the ones that have made breakthroughs like this possible. The commercial funding that accompanies cloning your pet allows scientists to pursue animal cloning research.

Xenotransplantation is not the only benefit of animal cloning research. As the cloning process has been examined, scientists have learned important information about physiology, cloning, and reproduction. They have learned about programming and reproducing cells and how these processes can be used to help humans with diseases and defects. It is clear that pet cloning and the cloning process have proven to be valuable to humankind.

The Real Deal

Unfortunately, all the information that is available on the Internet is not subject to fact checking. I know how difficult it can be to determine the validity of some statements, so I would like to take this opportunity to respond to some of the arguments made by people who do not want you to clone your pet.

Claim: It is irresponsible to clone your pet when there are so many stray animals and homeless pets in animal shelters.

Fact: To clone your pet does not contribute to homeless pet populations. Cloning companies create one pet, and that pet goes to a loving home with the family that opted to have the cloning process performed. In fact, the cloning process can help to combat the problem of homeless pets. In order to clone your pet, scientists need to understand the reproductive physiology of cats and dogs. As there was a lack of funding, very little was known about this subject until research began on pet cloning. An increased knowledge of feline and canine reproductive physiology will result in drug-based contraception. Currently, surgical procedures are used to prevent reproduction in these animals. Drug-based contraception will be more cost-effective and easier to dispense, and homeless and feral pet populations will be easier to control.

Claim: The companies that will clone your pet are not held to the same standards as are those who handle other animals. Therefore, the animals involved are not treated well.

Fact: People most commonly choose dogs and cats as their household pets, and most people feel very strongly about the manner in which these particular animals are treated. Thus, companies that will clone your pet are held to a higher standard than that which applies to other animals, and the dogs and cats that are involved in the cloning process are treated humanely.

Claim: Pet Cloning decreases genetic variation, leading to a smaller chance of survival and betterment of the species.

Fact: This claim is invalid, because to clone your pet does not eliminate other members, and thus genetic variations, of the species. In fact, pet cloning can increase genetic diversity, because it gives a genome that may not have reproduced a chance to do so.

I hope that these responses have dispelled some common misconceptions about the cloning process. Please be wary of scare tactics and discriminating in choosing reliable sources of information.

Why You Should Clone Your Pet

Opponents of cloning animals will tell you that it is wrong to clone your pet because there are millions of homeless pets in animal shelters, waiting to be adopted. Not only does pet cloning deny those animals precious homes, but it is also costly, and the money would be better spent by donation to a shelter. This would be a compelling argument, if in fact, the opposite were not true.

Actually, those homeless animals are a great reason for you to clone your pet. As scientists do more research into cloning animals, they learn more about their reproductive systems. Currently, the standard practice is to surgically spay or neuter pets. With better knowledge of cat and dog reproduction, gained through the cloning process, scientists can develop contraceptive methods that are cheaper and less invasive. And if you clone your pet, the cost of it goes toward such research. This is an important part of the equation, because the reproductive systems of dogs are not as well understood as those of other mammals. Without commercial interest in the subject, funds were unavailable for research into the physiology of canine reproduction.

In the long run, shelters will benefit far more greatly from introduction of a cheaper and easier way to sterilize animals than from a one-time donation. If a drug-based contraceptive is developed, it can be distributed to feral animals without the need to trap them. Also, people who may have avoided a costly surgical procedure may be more likely to give a pet a drug-based contraceptive. With non-evasive and affordable contraception available, the goal to control dog and cat populations becomes attainable.

If you want to clone your pet, chances are that you love not only your cat or dog, but all animals. The years that you spend with an animal create strong bonds and teach you much about that particular animal. Having cared for and bonded with an animal with the same genetic makeup, you can be sure that if you clone your pet, you will have a perfect match. At the same time, you will be helping to make strides in pet population control.

Trakr: A Hero's Legacy Continues

On the morning of September 12, 2001, James Symington and his dog, Trakr, arrived at Ground Zero in New York City. Trakr and Symington, a former Canadian police officer, were among the first volunteer rescue teams to arrive on the scene after the World Trade Center attacks, and Trakr is credited with finding the last survivor in the rubble. In recognition of his outstanding achievement, the California "clone your pet" company BioArts International has chosen Trakr as the worthiest dog to be cloned. They have offered Symington the opportunity to receive free pet cloning services.

Trakr has come to the end of his impressive career. In 1995, he and Symington launched the first canine police unit in Halifax. The two spent six years there before their heroic efforts at Ground Zero. Sadly, Trakr has developed a degenerative neurological condition that has inhibited use of his hind legs and may have been caused by toxic conditions at the World Trade Center site.

BioArts is attempting to extend Trakr's legacy through the cloning process. On their Best Friends Again website they say, "Cloning the best working dogs can potentially improve the efficiency of working dog breeding programs." Although Trakr's clone's characteristics will be formed by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, BioArts maintains that a genetic predisposition to “the right mix of sensitivity, intelligence, temperament, and other qualities" increases chances that with the right training, a clone of an outstanding working dog will follow in its predecessor's footsteps. Essentially, cloning animals results in animals more likely to achieve success in certain lines of duty.

This development offers exciting opportunities to benefit people and society and makes an excellent argument for animal cloning. In South Korea, seven dogs were cloned for police work last year. All seven passed a behavior test that determines genetic qualification for this type of work, whereas the average passage rate for naturally born dogs is 10-15%. Being able to control the genetic information of a dog through the "clone your pet" process will allow experts to increase populations of dogs suited to certain kinds of work, such as search and rescue, detection of certain materials, and aiding disabled humans. That means pet cloning has the potential to turn Man's Best Friend into humankind's greatest ally, helper, and hero.

Better Living Through Cloning

Did you know that other than mice, dogs share more disease patterns with humans than any other animal? If you are weighing pet cloning pros and cons, that is an important fact to consider. In attempting to further the science of the cloning process, scientists have studied many aspects of canine physiology. The knowledge that they have gained has added not only to that of the cloning process, but also to general scientific, veterinarian, and medical knowledge. Their research contributes to knowledge of human physiology and adds to stem cell research, which has a therapeutic goal of curing diseases in humans.

The benefits of cloning animals are not exclusive to humans. As scientists learn more about the cloning process for pets, they will be better able to extend it to other species. This is important in the effort to protect endangered species from becoming extinct. Although habitat preservation is the best way to go about prevention of extinction, there are situations in which the population is so sparse that cloning is the best option.

In addition, dogs and cats as species benefit from the cloning process. Groups that oppose cloning animals cite pet overpopulation and overcrowded animal shelters as reasons not to pursue this scientific venture. The reality, though, is that pet cloning can help to alleviate these problems. Research on dog and cat reproduction is essential to pet cloning, and understanding dog and cat reproductive physiology can facilitate the development of drug-based contraception that is more cost-effective than the current surgical practices.

The additional good news about pet cloning is that although its benefits extend to humans and many species of animals, it is not publicly funded. People have recently paid upwards of $150,000 to clone a beloved pet. The bottom line is that there is a demand for a privately funded process that benefits the public. Pet cloning increases the body of scientific knowledge, helps us gain control of animal populations, and makes people happy. Given those facts, it is difficult to question pet cloning ethics.