A novel scientific study says that cloning working dogs may be more effective than trying to train new, traditionally-bred dogs.
Understandably, training dogs to work in specialized fields is a lengthy and expensive process. For example, drug-sniffing dogs in police departments don’t just need a powerful sense of smell, but specific temperaments to endure the nature of the work. Unfortunately, selective breeding programs are only partially successful in passing these desired traits along.
According to the study’s authors, “only about half of all trained dogs may qualify as working dogs through conventional breeding management because proper temperament and health are needed in addition to their innate scent detection ability.”
Published in PubMed, the study’s authors sought to discover if somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)—a process where the nucleus of a body cell is implanted in an unfertilized egg cell—could help resolve the problem.
Cloning Dogs?
For this study, researchers hypothesized that cloning working dogs with desired traits would result in puppies with the same traits and behaviors.
In order to study the possibilities of cloning working dogs, the scientists focused on a small project in South Korea. In that project, scientists gathered cells from a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever. Afterward, they produced seven genetically identical puppies. Of those seven, six puppies passed the detection dog aptitude test. Unfortunately, the one puppy that didn’t pass was unable to do so because of a leg fracture.
Based on those amazing results, the Korean government created a plan to manage their working dog inventory. In 2011, various Korean government agencies deposited working dog cell samples in a national cell bank. Since then, the cell bank has successfully cloned over two dozen dogs for various uses. Most notably, scientists successfully cloned a cancer-sniffing dog with a 93.9% success rate in detecting breast cancer.
Ethics of Cloning
Understandably, there are concerns about the safety and ethics of cloning dogs. Aware of this, the study’s authors tracked certain health markers to note any abnormal or concerning changes in the health of their cloned puppies. Specifically, the study found that the birth weight of cloned puppies was slightly higher than normally-bred dogs. However, the authors claim that the smaller litter size of cloned puppies may explain this. Otherwise, the growth and development of the cloned dogs were indistinguishable from their naturally-bred brethren.
Although cloning animals is still a very controversial field, these results are promising. Hopefully, cloning can provide a solution to the lack of quality service animals. Most importantly, however, it can ensure the health and well-being of these hard-working dogs.
