Why (Even If I Had $50,000) I Wouldn’t Clone My Beloved Dog That Just Passed Away

There's a news story circling the socials about a family that cloned their 12-year-old Golden Retriever Marley. Marley saved his owner from a rattlesnake bite when she was pregnant with the family's first child and they decided that after he passed they were going to invest roughly $50,000 to clone him. They now have a new puppy named Ziggy that is an exact DNA match to their original dog. The company lists pet cloning prices at $50,000 for dogs and $35,000 for cats.

Recently, my dog of 17 years passed away. He was incredibly important to me. He was with me before marriage or kids. He was MY dog. He was my protector. He made it very clear how much he loved and appreciated me. And I miss him like crazy every single day. Reading this story got me thinking... IF I could have afforded it (which I cannot) would I have entertained the thought of cloning him? At the time of his death - yes. Yes, I would have given anything to have Chaz back. But, now... I don't think I would.

When I adopted Chaz, he had been abused. And he was scheduled to be euthanized because of his extreme aggression. He had a lot of issues which carried over into most of his life. But adopting him from such a terrible situation made our bond unbreakable - I believe he truly appreciated me saving him.

If I cloned him, the new dog might still like me but he wouldn't have the life experiences Chaz had. That bond just wouldn't be there. And, maybe he would just be a happy silly dog - the way all dogs' lives should play out. Or maybe he'd still have the aggression issues. You never know. According to an article on CNBC, "Just because they’re genetically identical doesn’t mean they’ll look the same. Genes can be expressed in different ways, so the new animal may have different markings. And personalities can vary dramatically."

And when Chaz died, really the only thing that made me feel better was knowing that eventually I'd be able to open my home up to a new dog that needed saving like he did. I scoured Petfinder.com once again looking for the perfect fit. It actually came much sooner than expected. Not long after, we adopted Bruiser - a min pin chihuahua mix that is in love with life. He's lazy during the day. Loves to play. Loves kids. Loves other dogs and cats. He's always around to cuddle. He's such a fun little dude. Chaz... well, he wasn't ever that fun and he didn't like anyone but me which makes it hard when you have a family. It has been so nice to experience the personality of a new family member who has such a zest for life and fits in so well with everyone.

So, even if I had an extra $50k to invest in a dog, I can't say I'd do it. It breaks my heart to think I'll never look into those eyes again so no judgement if you'd do it! I 100% get it. But, too many unwanted animals out there need a good home. And you never know what blessings God has in store for your future - things you can't imagine.

What about you?