Pet Cloning Is Going Mainstream—But Should We Be Cheering It On?

When news broke that former NFL star Tom Brady’s new puppy, Junie, was actually a clone of his late dog Lua—courtesy of Colossal Biosciences’ acquisition of Viagen—the veterinary world took notice.

Pet cloning, once the stuff of sci-fi, is officially in the spotlight. But as it becomes more accessible (at least for the ultra-wealthy), it’s raising a tough question for veterinarians: just because we can clone pets, does that mean we should?

A Billion-Dollar Reunion Industry

For Brady, cloning Lua was a way to give his family “a second chance” with their beloved companion. And he’s not the first to take that route. In 2018, Barbra Streisand famously revealed that two of her dogs were cloned from her late Coton de Tulear, Samantha.

Today, cloning a dog costs about $50,000—half that for cats—and business is booming. Viagen, now part of Colossal (the same company claiming to be resurrecting woolly mammoths and dire wolves), reports a steady increase in demand.

To grieving pet owners with the means, cloning feels like a miracle of modern science. To veterinarians and ethicists, it’s a Pandora’s box of welfare concerns.

Same DNA, Different Dog

One of the biggest misconceptions pet owners have about cloning is that they’ll get their old pet “back.”
That’s simply not the case.

While a clone shares the original animal’s DNA, genetics are only part of the equation. Environment, socialization, and experience shape every pet’s personality. The new puppy may look like Lua—but she won’t be Lua.

“Cloning can replicate DNA, but it can’t replicate a soul,” one small animal practitioner quipped on social media after Brady’s announcement.

The Hidden Cost of Cloning

Beyond the price tag, cloning has a steep biological cost.

When researchers in South Korea first cloned a dog in 2005, it took 1,095 eggs and 122 surrogate mothers to produce a single puppy. Even today, success rates remain low—one study found that only about 2% of cloning attempts result in a live birth.

That means many donor and surrogate animals are used—and often undergo invasive procedures—for each successful clone.

Meanwhile, in Shelters…

At the same time that some people are spending $50,000 to recreate a pet, millions of animals are sitting in shelters. In 2024 alone, more than 300,000 dogs were euthanized in the U.S.

For many veterinarians working on the front lines of animal welfare, that contrast is hard to ignore. Imagine what that money could do for rescue efforts, preventive care, or spay/neuter programs.

Cloning for Conservation: A Different Story

Not all cloning efforts are controversial. Scientists have successfully cloned the black-footed ferret, a critically endangered species, as a way to boost genetic diversity. In conservation medicine, cloning may one day help restore fragile ecosystems.

But domestic pets? They aren’t endangered—they’re overflowing in shelters. Cloning for conservation is about saving a species. Cloning a family pet is about easing grief.

The Takeaway for Vets

Pet cloning sits at the intersection of science, ethics, and emotion—a place veterinarians know all too well.

When a client asks, “Should I clone my dog?”, it’s not a simple yes or no. It’s an opportunity for education: to explain the science, the welfare implications, and the alternatives—like adoption or even DNA banking for future scientific advances.

Pet cloning may be going mainstream, but as always, veterinarians remain the voice of both compassion and reason.