Dairy producers are cloning elite dairy cows to increase their genetics. Cloning could provide blind persons with more of the very best sight dogs. Horse breeders may want to propagate their horses' athletic and genetic qualities. No one knows for certain when, or if, pet cloning will be technically and commercially possible. What is known is that since a sheep, Dolly, was cloned in Scotland in 1996, scientists have successfully cloned cattle, mice, goats, monkeys and pigs in their laboratories.
Cloning is accomplished through a process called nuclear transfer.
The embryo is then implanted in another female for normal gestation and delivery. Reports in 1998 that the first cloned animal, Dolly the sheep, was aging prematurely proven unfounded. Should cloning become possible, neutered and spayed animals can be cloned and produce genetically identical animals that are capable of breeding. As cloning is expected to require DNA taken from live tissue, many animal owners cannot or are not willing to risk the loss of their pet before cloning becomes a reality. Furthermore some experts believe that cells taken from young animals may be more responsive to cloning.