Dog Cloning

An inside look at the controversial, yet growing movement

By Teresa Bitler

Steve Lusk believes Radar, a Schnoodle rescued from the Humane Society, was the perfect companion. He would accompany Steve and his wife, Lynne, on walks, sleep with them in their bed, and snuggle with them during the day. Radar had an amazing personality, and Lusk says the people in the neighborhood loved him.

So, when the Prescott couple saw a 60 Minutes segment on canine cloning, it didn’t take them long to decide they should at least collect a tissue sample from Radar, allowing the possibility to clone him later. After all, the Lusks reasoned, they were both in their 70s; if something happened to either of them, they wanted the widowed spouse to have a companion as amazing as Radar by their side, even after Radar was gone.

“We thought we ought to get his tissue sample to use, just in case,” Lusk says. “It was insurance.”

Melain Rodriguez, client service manager with ViaGen Pets, the company featured in the television segment, says more than 90 percent of their clients feel the same way. They want the option of cloning their dog in the future, something that’s easy and relatively inexpensive.

The process begins at your veterinarian’s office. Using a kit provided by ViaGen, the veterinarian collects a tissue sample and returns it to the company. Owners then have the option to bank the tissue for future use ($500) or use it to culture and freeze new cells ($1,600). If they go forward with cloning, those costs, including the $150 annual storage fee, are deducted from the cost of cloning ($50,000).

“It can give you that peace of mind that if you do want to clone your pet, you can do it someday,” Rodriguez says.

However, owners that move forward with this need to understand that the clone will not be a “reincarnation” of their dog, she adds. The clone can look slightly different and even have a different personality.

“The offspring will be the essence of your dog,” Rodriguez explains. “It’s the genetic twin.”

While that can certainly be good, it can also have some drawbacks. For example, if you dog dies of cancer, his clone will be predisposed to it, too. (ViaGen does genetically manipulate DNA). But as Rodriguez points out, now you’ll know your cloned dog is predisposed for cancer, and if you catch it early enough, you might be able to prolong his life.

Otherwise, cloned dogs are just as healthy as their naturallyconceived counterparts and live just as long.

ViaGen recommends if you are considering preserving your dog’s tissue for possible future cloning, you do so sooner rather than later. You don’t want to be in a position where you can’t collect tissue quickly enough after there’s been an accident, and you lose the window to get genetic material.

Unfortunately for the Lusks, not long after his tissue sample was sent to ViaGen, Radar was hit by a car and died. They mourned him, gave it some thought, then decided to move forward with cloning.

“We didn’t want to replace him,” Lusk says. “You don’t replace anything. We wanted a part of him, and we got as much of him as we could, times two.”

Radar (R2), named for the original Radar (R1), and his brother Reggie were born April 17, 2020. The Lusks took them home on the Fourth of July, and according to Steve, “It’s spooky sometimes” how similar their mannerisms are to their predecessor.

“R1’s passion was hunting lizards,” he explains. “This spring when the lizards came out, they were all about hunting lizards. And I can hold either dog and close my eyes, and it feels exactly like Radar. The way they lick my face and snuggle.”

For the most part, people have been positive about Radar’s cloning. Lusk says a few have told them they shouldn’t have “messed” with science or expressed concerns about the puppies’ surrogate mother. Others believe they should have rescued a dog at the shelter instead.

He says this really never was an option for them. They wanted a part of Radar, and this was the only way to get that. Lusk doesn’t have any regrets.

“We just loved Radar to pieces,” he says. “These puppies have been an absolute bundle of joy.”

Job Description

As performed by the late Courage’s Gentleman Jack of Wildwest (AKA Jack and Juan Hidalgo)

By George D. Clark, Jr.

Jack's job was essentially divided into six areas or task groupings requiring differing abilities and levels of effort. These are described in the order of their importance for the overall position. They are as follows:

1. George's Canine Companion Animal.

Here, the primary emphasis was on the task of accompanying George to as many places as will permit dogs to go. This included, but was certainly not limited to, business offices, commercial establishments, other people's homes, restaurants (those with dog approved areas), parks, long hikes in the forest, riding in the car and anywhere else that can be found. In between going places, the job involved hanging out with George, sleeping on his foot while he sat at his desk, and generally keeping him company all day. Good manners while out were a requirement, walking on a lead, not threatening anybody or any other dog. Visiting dog parks was also included. Longer off-lead walks in the forest were an essential part of this job area. Good humor while being expected to wait in the Tahoe, Winnebago, ML-320 or Jeep was a key element. When George was absent, transferring to Melanie was necessary.

2. Therapy Work With Gabriel's Angels.

Here the ability to empathize with teenagers, play appropriately with them and help them recognize animals as important members of the family and the community was essential. This involved allowing teenagers to invoke behavior not always allowed (e.g., jumping up, snatching treats, etc.) while visiting and then “unlearning” it upon departure. Training out unwanted, but teenager taught, behavior to not take more than 36 hours after the visit. Then Therapy Work at the Veterans Hospital. Here empathy with older humans, some in pain, some in mental distress, was key. The upside of the VA work was frequent snacks of people food saved off lunch trays by the veterans visited.

3. Keeping the Home Property Free of Lions. While this was instinctual behavior, it needs to be recognized as an essential part of the job. Otherwise, various grandchildren and visitors might have been placed in harm's way. This also applied to the mountain property when occupied (where there might actually be a mountain lion or two).

4. Alerting the Household to Dangerous Intrusions. Normally, this was also instinctual behavior. Discretion is developed over time to distinguish between family friends coming to call and the garbage truck operator stealing our good stuff from out at the curb. Brief, but vigorous, vocal alerts were the key to satisfactory performance in this job aspect. A part of this duty was sleeping in close proximity to the members of the household (preferably on their legs or feet or their pillow).

5. There is no Number 51.

6. Show Dog.

The last and least important duty was that of Show Dog. As a show dog, winning things called class and winners competitions was the goal. This involved trotting animatedly around a clearly inadequately fenced space while being watched by somebody of dubious judgment, questionable knowledge and debatable objectivity; standing perfectly still in a position where you can't smell anything or look around; then allowing that same judgmental person to grope you in embarrassing places. Followed by instructions to run in foolish and arbitrary patterns before standing some more. Then maybe doing it all again with a different group of dogs. Then finally either being excused or given an absolutely useless piece of rayon not even worth burying. This was clearly not an activity thought up by a dog. They say that if you do this long enough and well enough to become what they call a Champion, you get to have children and only continue to do the silly aspects of this job occasionally. The only saving grace being that it was most often done in the company of the Human Companion Animal mentioned in Duty Number 1 and most times involved treats.

Compensation: Two generous meals per day, with cottage cheese and/or canned dog food added to dog chow. Vitamins. The opportunity to receive numerous snacks during the course of the day from the Human Companion Animals (including people food). Lots of petting, scratching, stroking and some hugs. Free run of the house (no runs, no kennels, no crates; all the rooms). A good-sized yard freely accessed. Long walks with opportunity to smell lots of good stuff. Sleeping on the beds and furniture. Time spent with the Human Companion Animal averaging 23.47 hours per day.