Cloned Pitbulls

[andyhilt27]

Will there be a future in this with regards to show dogs? Does the DPCA or the AKC have a stance on this?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26035202/

[Elaine]

Very interesting... especially about dogs being extremely difficult to clone because of their reproductive system.

I can sure see the temptation just when you loose a loved one to have them back at any cost... but will these five little Boogers be anything like the original? Seems to me that one huge part of what makes the creatures we love unique and precious is their individual life experiences. How could anyone give the 5 cloned puppies (spread over two litters) the same life experiences as Booger (which included his early interaction in his original litter, his time with his mom, all the individual day-to-day things that happened to make him who he was). Will any of that be passed through a test tube or petrie dish? I wonder. It would be interesting to follow these puppies to see how what they are like five years from now.

Researchers have cloned horses, including some famous horses with extraordinary abilities, but far as I know, it’s too soon to tell if the clones have any of the extraordinary abilities of the parent. Speculation is that there is only the physical resemblance, but not the heart and fire of a competitor, that is a unique quality in super star athletes of any discipline. But the media never goes back for “the rest of the story.”

In general, it seems to me that if we rely too much on cloning we are eliminating genetic variances, which in the best case scenario work in our favor produce a superior next generation. With cloning, the best a breeder could hope for is to stand still each generation. In fact, you wouldn’t really be going forward a generation at all, you’d be stuck in the same generation with each birth of a cloned offspring. Not sure that would be good for any species if cloning was relied upon too heavily.

[andyhilt27]

Oddly enough, I share the same views as you Elaine. :D

[pretty dobe]

I also agree on this cloning....It is the combined things the dog experiences in life and the interaction that they have in their lives. Would never do it myself....

But.....There is an interesting developement on this gal with the cloned puppies. News said yesterday they feel she is a fugitive from justice in England...Kidnapping a guy years ago. She may never raise those puppies after all of that.....

Judie

[Elaine]

She kidnaped a guy??? Now there's a twist you just don't expect :p

[pretty dobe]

The fellow was an Olympian, forgot in what though. It was strange, she used mink handcuffs on him. She was very smitten with him to say the least. News folks had fun with this one.

Judie

[Athy]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26087293/

Hmmmmmmm.

[andyhilt27]

Sexually assaulted by a soft-porn actress/model???? Uhhhhhh.......nevermind.:eek:

[Arthur]

This topic comes up frequently where I work. We are not doing any cloning in our department, but we frequently discuss the technology and its potential.

Someone here mentioned that environmental factors will be of some impact. Those environmental factors start as soon as the embryo is placed into a uterus. There have been Pinto horses (and/or cows) cloned that have different coat marking than the horse they were cloning. Development within the uterus is dependent on the mother's nutritional status and exposures while pregnant.

A major problem is the age of the cell. The cells of the older animal being cloned have been through many cell cycles and over time have aged. As a result, at very young ages these clones are suffering diseases that are generally associated with old age. We still don't know how to reset the clock.

[andyhilt27]

Wouldn't resetting the clock be associated with the fountain of youth? I believe Ponce De Leone thought it was in Florida. :D


Arthur, is there any advancement in terms of this?