Always the sweetest dog in the world.
She goes to work with me, she works out with me.
The vet told us she was getting older and I just didn't wanna lose her.
So my husband got me a christmas present, Chloe's genetic twin.
This is Zoe we worked with VIAGEN PETS and they couldn't have been better,
they were always responsive, always caring.
I love Zoe so much and I'm glad to know my bond with Chloe will continue.
>> Contact us today to learn how you can preserve your pet,
VIAGEN PETS, LOVE THAT LASTS FOREVER.
>> Viagen pets is for now at least the only company available
to ordinary Americans who are looking to clone their cat or dog.
And the question is, guilty or not guilty?
Would you do it?
Are you even tempted by it?
And I think this is super fascinating and it's not an easy answer if you ask me.
So Kelly Anderson is a dog trainer from Austin and
she is a happy customer of viagen.
Apparently Chai's body had not yet turned cold when Anderson remembered
a conversation with her roommate about the Texas based company ViaGen Pets,
one of just a few companies worldwide that clones pets.
The next morning, she called them some $25,000 and
five years later, Anderson, a 35 year old dog trainer from
Austin has a six month old carbon copy of Chai curled up in her lap.
So the clone is named Belle, it's nearly identical to Chai but
it's identical to Chai physically not personality wise, not habit wise.
They share some similarities when it comes to habits and personality but
at the end of the day, all they're really sharing or
carrying is the same genetic material, they're not the same animal.
And so I can get into how the process works, except who cares?
What's really interesting here is, is this something that
consumers are willing to shell out the money for, more importantly,
was as a relatively new cat owner, would you be willing to clone your cat?
>> No, it seems like a stupid expense to me and
I look at this likeI would look at a relationship with a person.
If we break up, I'll be able to fall in love
with another woman again, >> Damn, damn,
>> It's fine, sure,
I'll be sad in the immediate aftermath and I'll skip a few meals and
I might break down in the shower one day thinking about what used to be, but
eventually I'm gonna meet another chick and I'm gonna fall in love with her.
Same goes for a cat as much as I love Mimi, this is the best thing that I've
ever done, she's great, she's a great companion.
I can fall in love with another cat and I feel like my capacity
to connect with others is such that I'm not too worried that,
my God, will I ever find another cat to love?
That's ridiculous scott like that's ridiculous [LAUGH].
[SOUND] >> Listen, I look,
I think we have the capacity to love other pets and
no doubt I don't know, >> You wanna clone your dog, don't you?
[LAUGH] >> Don't judge me, he's a beaut boy.
I love him so much.
>> [LAUGH] >> He's so perfect.
Okay, look at how perfect he is.
He's so perfect.
He's the baby boy, he's a baby.
He's my little boy.
>> [LAUGH] >> Okay,
okay all right, there are more details of the story,
including the costs associated with doing this, we'll get into in just seconds.
But it's funny cuz Charlie is a rescue, right?
Like we notably did not want to spend thousands of dollars for
a dog that was part of some business where they breed, we don't wanna do that.
We knew that there were dogs that need homes and so
we specifically went to like a dog adoption event and I picked Charlie out.
And so obviously he's not a pure breed anything, he's mixed, but he's
such a unique mix that I want, first of all, I want him to live forever obviously.
But more importantly I want my next dog to be just like he's just, he's so perfect.
>> Man. >> He's a mini poodle terrier mix and
the terriers included are Pomeranian Chihuahua,
Cocker Spaniel, like how do I replicate that?
I've been thinking about it for some time.
Easy, 25Gs.
>> Okay, so let's get to the cost okay?
So it does cost quite a bit ViaGen Pets clones dogs for $50,000.
So double the price that you just mentioned and cats for $35,000.
For those still undecided, the company also offers to store and preserve
pets sells for $1600 an amount that is included in the total cloning cost.
So if you want to preserve the genetic material and
then later you pull the trigger and you wanna clone your pet, you can do that.
And the $1600 is, it's contributed to the overall
cost of the procedure or the cloning process.
Roberto Novo sold a prized Andy Warhol butterfly silkscreen
he had purchased from a hairstyling client and Warhol friend years prior.
John Mendola, a former policeman based on Long Island, also traded his Lexus for
a Chevy pickup truck to help pay to clone his Shih Tzu Lhasa mix, Princess.
So people are they're making arrangements to come up
with the funds necessary to pay for this.
So I just wanted to give you some examples, but look, there are people who
are looking down at this, do not think this is a good idea because to be fair,
there are lots of pets out there, >> That need homes.
That need homes, so I get it.
That said, if I had the money, I would probably clone Charlie.
>> [LAUGH] >> I'm just saying you guys
can hate me and judge me for it.
But I mean you guys, you saw how perfect he is.
>> And look my cat is super social in a way that is not really normal for cats.
My cat wants to hang out, my cat wants to cuddle, my cat doesn't like running
underneath the couch when people come over, it's a great cat.
But like I said, if I had to, i'll get another one and
it would be perfectly fine.
[LAUGH] [SOUND] All right, well we want to ask you guys,
go to tyt.com/polls take part in the poll.
We wanna ask you, would you get your pet cloned if you could afford it?
Yes or no and I think this one,
I really don't know how the audience is gonna weigh in.
I'm gonna predict that I'm the bad guy and Wes is the good guy.
But those people are wrong, I think Wes is the bad guy.
I think Wes doesn't sufficiently love his pet
and, >> [LAUGH]
>> There should be,
a full blown investigation.
>> The scale for love starts at, would you be willing to clone me?
[LAUGH] You know what?
People should put that in their marriage vows,
that till death do us part unless something tragically happens.
In which case I'll clone you Wes so I can marry you again, that would be [LAUGH].
>> That's actually a suit, I mean do we really wanna open that pandora's box?
I would venture to say most people would not clone their spouses, but
I love my husband, I'm not saying anything about my relationship,
but it's weird cuz it's not your partner.
It looks like your partner, but
it's a completely different person with a different personality, you know?
>> You know what I would say though,
is that we're already experimenting with cloning.
Have you been on instagram lately?
These women that look exactly like kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian.
Those ain't clones, I don't know what, I don't know what the hell is.
We're already there and I'm telling you, >> We are, we are.
>> Going to dr Miami and say let me get the number six special and
they all do the same.
They all look exactly the same, it's insane.
>> It really is, it really is.
Well, I mean look, if women are told over and over again that this is what
the perfect woman looks like, it ends up seeping into their minds and
they think that that's what they need to do.
They need to go get the procedures to look exactly like that person to be considered
attractive.
It's actually kind of tragic, but yeah, you're right.
It has been a widespread practice already, it's just a different method of cloning.
Little less scientific I guess and
more procedural plastic surgery, procedural.