Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Tom Brady’s Dog Clone Puts New Attention on Colossal’s Viagen Deal and the Business of Pet Cloning

The revelation has pushed pet cloning from niche science into a contested consumer service.

Overview

  • Brady said his puppy Junie is a genetic clone of his late dog Lua, created from blood drawn before Lua’s 2023 death by Colossal Biosciences, a company he invests in and advises.
  • Colossal announced it acquired ViaGen Pets & Equine, a leading pet‑cloning firm, pairing the disclosure with a push to expand commercial cloning services.
  • Pet cloning generally costs about $50,000 for a dog, keeping the service largely limited to affluent owners as public polling shows many Americans view animal cloning as morally unacceptable.
  • Experts note clones replicate DNA rather than memories or personality, and research cites low live‑birth success rates and heavy use of donor eggs and surrogates in the process.
  • Animal‑welfare advocates point to millions of shelter intakes and hundreds of thousands of euthanasias in recent years, and some public figures, including WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, criticized Brady’s decision.