'I Cloned My Pet': Grieving Pet Owners Try To Recreate Their Furry Best Friends

For many people, pets aren't just animals -- they're members of the family. But would you go so far as to clone Fido after he'd passed away? TLC's latest special, aptly named "I Cloned My Pet" (premieres Wed., Jan. 11, 9 p.m. EST), finds people looking to do just that.

We've got an exclusive first look at Peter, a former gang member who gave up his life of crime when his dog, Wolfie, showed him love. When Wolfie died, Peter saved a few locks of his hair and has since become a successful businessman with only one goal in mind: To bring Wolfie back to life.

Take a look at the preview and tell us what you think: Is this taking technology too far?

Here's TLC's description of the show:

Danielle from Staten Island, NY and her beloved Trouble spent 18 wonderful years together and before his passing, she had a small sample of his cells harvested for cloning. It's been 3 years since Trouble's death, but Danielle's house is still a shrine to his memory and she even preserved the last piece of chicken he ate from. This desire for immortal love is shared by Los Angeleno, Peter, who lost his beautiful Wolfie 3 years ago. Peter rescued Wolfie from the then-tough streets of LA and ironically, Wolfie also saved Peter from similar dangers. Peter was on a dangerous downward spiral spending time with a tough crowd and ended up caught in the crossfire. The night he was shot changed everything, and Peter made a choice to fill his world with love and be committed to his Wolfie.

While Danielle and Peter both anxiously await news from Korean scientists to confirm that Trouble and Wolfie's DNA can be successfully harvested, another cloner, Sheryl, is also waiting for important news; her jail sentence. In Santa Fe, Sheryl has already succeeded in cloning her pet, Blue, and the clone of Blue (Blue Frankenstein II), is on his way home. Unfortunately she’s locked up awaiting trial so if she gets a long sentence she may never get to see her dog.

An exorbitant price tag for this procedure means most people will never have the luxury of experiencing their pet's rebirth. "I Cloned My Pet" explores these challenges and finds out if the cloners succeed in bringing their beloved pets to life and if the colossal financial sacrifices are worth it.

Comments

[SymonK]

02:42 AM on 03/30/2012

As a parent I can only endorse pet cloning. Some couple years ago if you daughter came crying to you and said: “Our goldfish is dead!” how could you comfort her:
“Honey, I am so sorry, but living creatures die. But don’t worry! I am sure your goldfish is in a better place now.” But now it is different. If your daughter comes crying to you: “Our dog is dead!” You don’t need to worry, you just say: “F@#k the dog! We will clone it back.”

[Lisa Brock Warteman]

12:58 PM on 01/19/2012

My feelings about cloning aside, these people so very obviously need psychiatric help. This is an unhealthy obsession and they have more feelings for these dogs than they do humans. They are obviously trying to fill some void in their life with their pets. Their priorities are very out of sorts. I have had many pets over the years and currently have 2 dogs and 3 cats (which is too many but they are all old). My pets are companions and compliments to my life, they are NOT my entire life. I do not love them more than God or my husband and family. I think this show is despicable for many reasons. There are so many dogs out there who need to be adopted and they are exploiting this cloning procedure. Instead of providing emotional and psychological help to these people, they are just preying on their weaknesses and enabling them to perpetuate their dysfunctional behavior and spend money they very obviously do not have. They also don't say what conditions the surrogate females who are carrying the clone puppies are being kept in or what happens to them post-birth. My guess is that they are kept in small cages and probably euthanized when they are no longer useful. How humane is that?

[Judy Dukes]

08:44 PM on 01/18/2012

Even if you clone, you are only clonning the body! The pet won't be the same! It won't have those same life exeperiances to make it who it was. Identical twins share the same DNA but are two totally different indviduals.

[Ari Dean]

02:02 PM on 01/18/2012

My soulmate, is a dog. A lab-pit bull mix named Quinn. He was a rescue and neutered when I got him and I felt cheated. I want my children to grow up with his children, since I know he won't be around forever. This process gives that chance. He is only 3 so there is time for technology to improve. I want, ideally, to impregnate a female with his DNA and have a litter of puppies he sired. But if it isn't available when the time comes, I will be going to Korea. My life, my money, my choice. Maybe everyone should worry a little less about what people do with their lives.

[dkhawkee]

09:01 PM on 01/17/2012

All arguments about cloning aside, where did these people come up with the 50k (half off due to them having it done oncaamera) it cost them to get the cloning done? We have one who has been laid off for 3 years, one who was a gangbanger, and one in jail...

[animal lover 01]

02:05 PM on 01/17/2012

I love my fur babies more then anything, but when they are gone, so is the essence of everything that made them special, you cannot recreate that. What you can do is save A LOT of lives with all the money used to clone. Adopt, donate,volunteer,foster..that is what your beloved pet would have wanted anyway. Save another like you once saved them.

[tekcarf pet lover]

11:57 PM on 01/14/2012

Is God going to bring us back after we die? Many would say YES! Why is He going to bring us back? I know we're not God ,BUT maybe therin lies the reason we want to bring our pets back.

[oberlinkay91]

04:38 PM on 01/14/2012

Not sure how I feel about this... I love my pets, no doubt about that, but part of me keeps thinking that people are messing in things they shouldn't with cloning and growing meat and body parts in labs. Your playing God or Mother Nature (depending on your beliefs).

[cindyw]

12:16 PM on 01/14/2012

Our dog Jack was one of a kind, and it was my privilege to take care of him for 14 years. When he died last spring, we rescued two more. I like to think Jack would approve.

[Eugene Oliker]

11:39 PM on 01/13/2012

I think we all judge each other too much in life. While I am not sure how I feel about this, I'm not going to judge others. Its their life and their decision.

This show just made me think about how short of a life our pets have. I really wish they lived as long as us so that we would not have to lose them so quickly. How to deal with that lose...who are we to judge...

[surlyguvna]

09:21 AM on 01/13/2012

This is too weird, you can clone a deceased pet but not their spirit. Except their passing, the love they gave you and honor them by helping other pets in need.
I personally would love nothing more then to bring back my cat...she was a one of a kind, sweet and cuddly one moment, cantankerous and rabid the next but, I loved her. I cried when she passed but after a year, I went out and adopted 2 kittens which have brought me hours of laughter and joy. I remember her every time I smile.

[Ella Wein]

09:01 AM on 01/13/2012

Cloning will not save your dogs attitude.. we at adog walking service believe that every dog is unique....

[DSevere]

02:19 AM on 01/13/2012

We rescue dogs, and I love all of them very much, and when one of them dies I cry a lot and am really grief stricken for a couple of weeks.

And then we realize that we have room in our family for another dog (3 is our limit) and we go and rescue a new doggie. And that makes us feel a lot better, we get busy taking care of the new pup, and feel good about the fact that we saved his/her life, and then all is well.

Now isn't that better than going through all this cloning stuff?

[Pack Mentality Blog]

12:02 AM on 01/13/2012

This cloning thing is pretty sick stuff.
Go to a local shelter or rescue organization and save a life - or two or three.

[jeyseptember]

10:31 PM on 01/12/2012

While I can believe the want for your beloved pet back, manipulating life itself just isn't right. I loved my two cats much, and when they had to be put down because of medical complications, I thought that no one pet could replace them. When you clone a pet you are replacing them. Millions of animals need homes, and when you adopt an animal, it is not replacement, it is extending a family.
A clone of your beloved pet is simply a stand-in, and while it replaces the other pet that has passed on, it never fully replaces the bond between the two. Adopting another pet from a shelter is more inexpensive, and can save animals. It is more worthwhile to save the life of an animal that needs help than it is to try and recreate one lost. Also, adopting a pet from a shelter won't replace the bond, because you aren't trying to recreate it. Instead, you'll create a new bond. Each relationship to a pet is very different. Trying to recreate that pet to replace it, is simply manipulation of that bond.
You can still miss you pet, but you shouldn't try to bring it back to life. My two older kitties are gone, and sure I miss them, but I would never clone them. I instead got a new calico kitty to share new memories with, and create, and am looking into adopting a puppy.

[oberlinkay91]

04:41 PM on 01/14/2012

Good post... I completely agree with what you said.