Chinese Woman Spends ₹19 Lakh to Recreate Her Dead Dog Using Skin Sample

Public interest in pet cloning has been revived after a Chinese woman paid 160,000 yuan (US$22,000, more than ₹19 lakh) to clone her deceased Doberman.  The South China Morning Post reported that although the method is legal in China, it must follow moral standards and must be carried out by certified companies.

A bond beyond death

The woman is from Hangzhou in eastern China and is only known by her last name, Xu.  Joker, a Doberman she purchased in 2011, became her loyal friend and protector.

Joker was an important part of Xu's life since it gave her a sense of security when she was living alone.  The dog needed surgery to remove a cancerous tumour that had grown in its neck when it was nine years old.  Joker freely underwent the treatment without medication despite the risks since he had complete faith in his owner.

Due to Joker's cardiac issues as he grew older, Xu had to accompany him every two weeks to a pet hospital in Shanghai for treatment.  But at the age of 11, the cherished dog passed away from a heart attack in November 2022.

My best pal was Joker.  He saw ten years of my life, from my education to my work," Xu said.

Turning to cloning

Xu was angry by Joker's death, which had an impact on both her physical and emotional well-being.  She had a background in medicine and had been keeping up with China's progress in pet cloning.  She received advice from experts and chose to proceed with the process in 2017, after China's successful duplication of its first dog.

Xu paid the entire amount up advance while keeping the identity of the cloning company a secret.  Joker's abdomen and ear tips were sampled for skin by scientists, who used the tissue to make an embryo that was later implanted in a surrogate mother.

The success of the cloning was confirmed to Xu a year later.  Every fifteen days, she was updated with growth footage and ultrasound results.

The arrival of the Little Joker

Xu took up the cloned dog, whom he named Little Joker, just before the Lunar New Year in 2024.  She was shocked to see how much they like each other—they even had the same black patch by their noses and behaved similarly.

Joker's old leash was carried by Little Joker, who also stole socks and drank water in the same manner.  But Xu admitted that Joker will never be fully replaced by the new dog.

She said, "Taking care of this new life helped me temporarily forget the pain of losing Joker."

Public reaction and ethical issues

Online responses to Xu's decision were divided, with some internet users wondering if cloning surrogate dogs is harmful.  She reassured them that some of the animals are later adopted by pet owners and that the animals receive the right care.