Anyone who’s loved a dog knows that losing one just wrecks your world. Every corner of the house feels too quiet. Tom Brady, the football legend, has faced big losses on the field, but losing his dog, Lua, hit him differently. So when he found out he could bring her back — genetically, at least — he did. The story’s spreading fast online, mostly because it’s so relatable to every dog lover who has ever lost a beloved pet. Most people are asking the same thing: if you could bring your dog back, would you?
Tom Brady reveals his dog Junie is a clone of beloved family pet Lua
The announcement about the Pit Bull mix, Lua, came via a statement from Colossal Biosciences, a venture capital-backed biotech start-up in which Brady is an investor. The news coincided with the company’s acquisition of Viagen Pets and Equine, another animal cloning firm.
“I love my animals. They mean the world to me and my family,” Brady said in the statement, which was obtained by PEOPLE. “A few years ago, I worked with Colossal and leveraged their non-invasive cloning technology through a simple blood draw of our family’s elderly dog before she passed.”
Lua, whom Brady shared with his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, passed away in December 2023. But that tiny act — a quick blood draw — ended up giving the family something they never expected: a real second chance. “In a few short months, Colossal gave my family a second chance with a clone of our beloved dog,” Brady said.
It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but it is actual, modern-day science. Now owned by Colossal, Viagen has a history of cloning pets for celebrities — they’ve worked with stars like Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton — and have even claimed to help bring back dire wolves. Sure, it costs a small fortune, but if it means getting Lua back in some form, who’s really putting a price tag on that?
The athlete also said he’s “excited how Colossal and Viagen’s tech together can help both families losing their beloved pets while helping to save endangered species.”
