Dog Facts

Snuppy, the first cloned dog, shows that it is possible to produce a dog that is the genetic twin of another dog, although it is still difficult and expensive to do so. It is possible that, in the future, it might be possible, and some people might choose, to create a twin of their favorite pet or of an admired champion dog rather than to adopt a dog or to wait for the outcome of a mating between two preferred parents. If taken to an extreme, this would mean that people would be able to review photos of breed champions, read their descriptions, and choose one to duplicate, which would be cloned on demand. Although the two dogs would have identical genes, they would not necessarily have identical markings. In breeds in which markings vary by individual, Spot the Second might have spots in places that Spot the First did not, and vice versa.