Choosing a Clone or a Robot Dog?

Our pets do not live forever and unfortunately they die after becoming so close to us. There are several companies now producing artificial intelligent robotic dogs for our much needed companionship. Within the next decade or so, they will become so real you may even forget they are robots. In fact that maybe just as well in case you space out and forget to feed them. In the movie; “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” the robotic teddy bear was a “Super Toy.” In the movie; “iRobot” the robotic trucks delivered robotic dogs and robotic people as friends and servants of mankind. There is only one problem with this scenario for a possible future; Will we want robotic pets or will we want cloned pets?

Both options are nearly upon us. Many Japanese companies are producing robotic dogs now, and they are getting smarter or better equipped with robotic artificial intelligence each year.

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But nipping on the heels of this new artificial intelligence and in competition to be man’s bestest buddy, is the latest exploits of cloning. If your dog is growing old and weak you simply clone it and then the new dog takes over as a puppy of your current dog when it dies. In its old age your faithful dog has a companion too, a younger version of itself as a friend. Sounds to Sci-Fi to you; it shouldn’t. Scientists in South Korea have successfully cloned a dog, Afghan hound. Of course this first issue did not come without trial and error. Of course to get Snuppy, the first cloned dog it took many years of research and a lot of tries. S.N.U.P.Py stands for Seoul National University Pampered Puppy. It has not been more than a few years since the first sheep clone; “Dolly.” You may not know this but since Dolly, scientists and researchers have cloned a cat, goat, cow, mouse, pig, rabbit, horse, deer, mule and gaur (a wild ugly ox). Folks the commercial pet cloning industry is about to take off. Right now the cost would be about $50,000 but researchers and market analysts predict that price will come down significantly. And it better to compete with the ever increasing viability of artificial intelligent pet models, which require no food and do not leave anything extra to pick up around the yard. Think on this.

Lance Winslow V