back to article Star Paws: Attack of the clones

In the ultimate barking mad diva act, Barbra Streisand has revealed she cloned her beloved dead dog Samantha, creating two more replicant canines. Streisand told Variety that her pets, Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett, were cloned from cells taken from the mouth and stomach of her beloved 14-year-old dog Samantha, who died in …

  1. Jay 2

    I've never really seen the point of cloning a pet (as far as current science goes). Though whilst they may physically look like the deceased, they'll have a completely different personality. And to lift a quote from Pulp Fiction, "personality goes a long way".

    1. Gordon 10
      Boffin

      Personally my master VC startup plan was always to figure out how to stop a dogs gene expression in the "cute puppy" stage then $$$.

      Streisand could be my first customer

      1. LewisRage

        @Gordon 10

        This is easy to solve, simply copy the model for all these razor/recipe/beer/gin subscription boxes and couple it with the cloning technique.

        Every month you get a fresh puppy clone in a dog sized box, you put the old one in and send it to the freepost address for introduction to the doggy retirement home (aka Soylent Pup). All for the low low price of £20/month (initial fee, rising to £20000/month after 1 month).

        It'd need a clever name though. Best suggestion gets a 10% off their first month.

        1. A. Coatsworth Silver badge
          Terminator

          Re: @Gordon 10

          A catchy name... What about "Re-pet"?

          Nothing wrong can come of using that name

          1. Tikimon
            Coat

            Re: @Gordon 10

            Total Repaw!

      2. 's water music
        Devil

        Cloning As A Service

        Personally my master VC startup plan was always to figure out how to stop a dogs gene expression in the "cute puppy" stage then $$$.

        Shirley the beauty of a cloning operation is that you simply issue a new clone as sson as the current pet approaches the end of cute puppiness. Endless puppy for the owner, repeat fees for you. Perhaps you could grind up the no-longer-cute dogs as food for the new clones or render them for glue or something to further defray costs?

        Dammit, ninjaed by @LewisRage

        1. LewisRage

          Re: Cloning As A Service

          We're of one mind, even down to repurposing the unwanted genetic matter to refill the protein vats.

    2. caffeine addict

      Shirley, you mean "pup fiction"...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So the idea is to send in the Clones so there's no more tears.

    1. Gordon 10

      Tell that to Smokey.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I doubt PETA are pushing people to adopt pets because they prefer to euthanize them.

    1. Irongut

      Finally a PETA policy I can agree with!

      1. Not also known as SC

        "Finally a PETA policy I can agree with!"

        The fact that PETA are against something seems a good reason to support whatever PETA disagrees with.

    2. John G Imrie

      euthanize

      The people or the pets?

      1. James O'Shea

        Re: euthanize

        "The people or the pets?"

        Both.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We should be grateful ...

    At least there's no possibility of there being clones of Barbara Streisand

    1. SkippyBing

      Re: We should be grateful ...

      Shhhh, don't go giving people ideas!!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: We should be grateful ...

        You may be onto something here, to combat the Streisand effect clone a load of Streisand's to remove the content.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: We should be grateful ...

        "Shhhh, don't go giving people ideas!!"

        To late, she was already cloned quite a while ago but the whole thing went horribly wrong. The clone is currently living in the White House.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: We should be grateful ...

      Well, the article does indicate they have different personalities, so we might get lucky this time!

  5. Eddy Ito

    Maybe PETA is worried that by unwittingly drawing attention to the act, Streisand is in danger of creating millions more cloned dogs…

    They shouldn't sweat it since it takes someone with more dollars than sense at $50k a pop pup.

    1. Teiwaz

      it's wonderful, isn't it?

      They shouldn't sweat it since it takes someone with more dollars than sense at $50k a pop pup.

      Still plenty of those about. Enough demand, and someone will manage to get the price down, even if it means cutting corners or ethics.

      All that's needed is something like a cheap Max Headroom process for dogs (season 2 ep 2 : Deities)

      1. Code24

        Re: it's wonderful, isn't it?

        Any Max Headroom reference gets an immediate upvote.

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

  7. Velv
    Childcatcher

    All our fears come true...

    The advancement of medical science takes us down the road of curing many medical issues for humans and animals. In principle this is a good thing.

    Offering a service cloning ones beloved pet however just proves true the fears raised by many of a market for "designer babies". Today it's dogs, tomorrow, well, go watch "The Island"

  8. James O'Shea

    If PETA is against it

    I, usually, for it. In the past at least 95% of the notions emitted from PETA's tailpipes have been utter nonsense at best, and strikingly evil at worst. I do agree with them when they say that there are too many humans on this rock. I suspect that they might not agree with my solution to the population problem.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: If PETA is against it

      I suspect that they might not agree with my solution to the population problem.

      Start with PETA then?

      1. James O'Shea

        Re: If PETA is against it

        sounds like a plan.

  9. Alistair
    Windows

    wait --

    How did People Eating Tasty Animals get involved here?

    and

    Are PETA actually trying to affect a Streisand Effect on Barbara Streisand?

    ERR DIVBY0

  10. Paratrooping Parrot
    Boffin

    Potential for a scam.

    Couldn't they just have searched for an identical breed of dog and then say it's a clone? It will have different personalities anyway.

    1. Chemical Bob
      Facepalm

      Re: Potential for a scam.

      What? You *actually* think they cloned a dog? Just because they said so?

  11. Tikimon
    Devil

    Do Actresses Dream of Electric Dogs?

    Check the mutts real close for a hidden Boston Dynamics logo...

  12. King Jack
    Thumb Up

    We've been eating cloned meat for decades. Cloning occurs in nature all the time. Bacteria are a cloned organism. Where is the out cry about that? They is an outbreak of asexual Crayfish in Europe, technically all clones.

  13. a_yank_lurker

    Can't Tell Them Apart?

    Not familiar with the breed, but some breeds of dogs and cats can look very much alike and the main differentiation is their behavior.

    Seriously with the number of nice animals in shelters or available for breeders (both will cost a lot less) way clone? The only answer I can come up with is pure vanity couple with money and arrogance.

  14. Nick Gisburne

    Why clone any pet?

    I've owned several dogs, and although they've all been the same breed (English springer spaniels), part of the joy of having each dog is that they were all very different, in both looks and personality. The only reason I can see for having a clone is that they would look the same and/or act the same. Yet I wouldn't want to be constantly reminded that my new companion looks just like the old one, but really isn't. Sam, Ralfie, Douglas... never replaced, just, er, a word that means I'll be looking for a new one eventually, but NOT a clone!

    1. muddysteve

      Re: Why clone any pet?

      An upvote for the message, and I would like to give another for having English Springer Spaniels.

  15. Patched Out

    Cloning aside ...

    One reason we haven't adopted a dog out of a shelter is because my wife is allergic to most breeds except the "hypoallergenic" ones. With a shelter dog, you may not know what mix of breeds it is, so there is a risk she could be allergic to it.

    Oddly, she is not allergic to cats.

  16. sloshnmosh

    In the words of Jud Crandell from Pet Cemetary:

    "sometimes, death is better"

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