Dog cloning is a process of giving birth to a genetically same dog with the help of human intervention.
What Is Dog Cloning?
As the name suggests, this is the process to give birth to the dog which is more or less the same as the parent dog. Such dogs are referred to as clone dogs. Such a cloned dog will have many of the key characteristics that your dog might have – such as appearance, intelligence level, temperament, etc.
Dog cloning is the process through which there are no significant changes made to the genes of the dog. It is entirely a scientific process and requires technology and human intervention to do so.
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How Long Does A Cloned Dog Live?
Cloned dogs live a healthy and full life just like any other dog. The only difference between a natural-born dog and a cloned dog is that the genes of the parent dog are preserved in the latter case.
To give birth to a cloned dog, the parent dog’s genes are preserved through a process called genetic preservation. This is only a minor procedure and does not harm the dog. These tissue samples are then sent to a lab where the new cells will be cultured so that they resemble and have the same genetic makeover as the parent dog.
These cells are then frozen until you decide when you want a dog to be cloned. It is a very simple procedure and does not affect the life or health of the dogs.
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Is The Process Of Dog Cloning Legal?
In the US, there is no law as of now that bars the cloning of dogs.
Dog Cloning: Pros And Cons
Just like anything else in the world, this process, too, has its list of pros and cons. A few of these are discussed below:
Pros
You can get the desirable traits.
As the name suggests, the idea of this process is to create a clone of an existing dog. You may want certain traits or characteristics of a dog to be present in another dog as well, which is why you want to resort to this process.
You can preserve memories.
We know how people get easily and deeply attached to their dogs. They are also treated as a member of the family by the majority of the population who own a dog. However, unfortunately, dogs do not have a large life span. Therefore, cloning the dog is a process through which you can have the same dog for a larger duration.
Also read: Dog Euthanasia – Is it necessary or not?
Cons
It is expensive.
As you might have deciphered by now, this process is highly technology-driven. Thus, it requires a lot of money to clone a dog or any other animal, for that matter. For a dog, it is approximately $50,000, which might vary from place to place. This price is for each attempt the lab makes at cloning the dog.
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The process might be unsuccessful.
Even when technology and science have advanced, one cannot guarantee the results. To your surprise, only approximately 6-7% of the total attempts have been successful. When such cloned animals are born and the process is unsuccessful, they require heavy medical intervention, which you would not want your dog to go through. This process also, to some extent, increases sensory impairment and other birth defects.
Final Thoughts
One cannot rely on science so much. As enticing as this process might sound, there is always a risk associated with such procedures. Cloning dogs is a chance to get a similar dog.
