More Than Just DNA: Why Cloning Can’t Replace Your Heart Dog
I first read about Tom Brady cloning his dog back in November, but recently I saw a clip from an interview he did on Entertainment Tonight. Like many of us, I wondered whether I would have cloned any of my dogs if I had been able to.
In those first weeks after Jackson had passed away, if you had asked me if I wanted to clone him, to have “another” one of him, I might have said yes.
After watching him die in the backseat of my husband’s truck, as we raced to try to make it to the emergency vet to help him over the Rainbow Bridge, if you asked me if I wanted another decade with him, I would have perhaps taken any opportunity to do so, to do it all over again, from puppyhood to senior years.
But it wouldn’t be Jax, identical DNA or not.
The truth is, Jax was a once-in-a-lifetime dog.
Tink was a once-in-a-lifetime dog.
Quill is a once-in-a-lifetime dog.
That’s the thing people forget: “once in a lifetime” doesn’t mean you only get a great dog only once in your life. It means you only get THAT dog once. It means each dog is their own miracle. You only get that specific dog once, but you can have an incredible dog with each and every dog who you bring into your home.
Responsible Breeding Means Bringing New Dogs Into Your Line
And that’s where responsible breeding comes in. I think people often assume that responsible breeders breed the same dogs over and over and over. Among the breeders I know, whose actions I have used to base my stringent criteria for what makes a responsible breeder, I have never seen them breed the same two parents twice. That’s more of a backyard breeder or puppy mill mindset.
The purpose of breeding dogs isn’t to crank out carbon copies. It’s to continually improve the breed’s health, temperament, and conformation to the breed standard.
The breeders I know aren’t recycling the same dogs over and over. They’re bringing in new DNA from other responsible programs, evaluating structure and temperament, not just in the show ring, but in real life, doing the sports and activities that our breed was meant to do, and making thoughtful decisions about how to keep improving the breed.
Could someone clone a truly exceptional dog for breeding purposes? Maybe. But even then, DNA is only one ingredient in what makes your dog a once-in-a-lifetime dog. The rest — the environment, the training, the household energy, the lived experiences — plays a huge role in forming the dog you actually get.
According to a study from the Broad Institute, behavior is far too complex to be predicted by DNA alone. Even dogs with nearly identical genetics — including cloned dogs — can develop entirely different temperaments because behavior emerges from a combination of genes, development, and environment.
Nurture Versus Nature
If Jackson had not broken his leg in the whelping pen and undergone X-rays and vet appointments at 2 weeks old, would he be the exact same dog he was when he came to me at 8 weeks? If Quill had come to us at 8 weeks instead of 12, would he be the same dog? Probably not. Those experiences shaped them and contributed to their personalities as adult dogs.
Nurture versus nature is a huge factor in my own life. I often think about who I would be if I had not been adopted by my Dad, if I had grown up with my biological father instead. My dad is the one who brought Labrador Retrievers into my life. I would be a whole other person, possibly cuddled up with a cat in a city loft instead of with a Labrador Retriever snoring under my desk.
Don’t get me wrong, a dog’s DNA is essential in a purpose-bred dog. But it is not the sole determining factor for the dog you are going to get. Life is a big “choose your own adventure” book, with every single choice and action contributing to who you are at any given moment in time.
The Ethics of Cloning a Mixed‑Breed Dog
The dog that Tom Brady cloned was a pit bull type dog‑mix. While being “purebred” does not make a dog more worthy of love or of existing than a mixed‑breed dog, the decision wasn’t about improving a breed’s future.
Perhaps it was to support the company he invested in, and maybe that work will benefit animals down the road. But in this specific instance, if you’re not improving a purpose‑bred line of dogs, where does this fall ethically?
Many people argue passionately that all dog breeding should stop because of the crisis in shelters and the heartbreaking reality that there are far more dogs than loving homes. I understand that argument. Truly. But I’m firmly in the camp that believes we must protect responsible breeders who create purpose‑bred dogs and preserve the breeds we need and love.
And I want to acknowledge something else, too. I know there are people who would say that by instead of purchasing from a breeder, I should have “rescued” a shelter dog instead. I understand that perspective. But for me, having a specific, purpose-bred Labrador Retriever is important for reasons that go far beyond preference — reasons that probably deserve their own blog post someday.
Purpose‑bred dogs and shelter dogs both have a place in this world. Supporting responsible breeders doesn’t mean turning my back on rescue. I firmly believe that if you’re looking for a best friend, a soulmate, a dog who will be grateful for the rest of their days that you took a chance on them, you can absolutely find that at your local shelter.
Was the Cloned Puppy a Singleton? And Why That Question Even Matters
We don’t know whether Junie was a singleton or one of several cloned littermates. If Junie were a singleton, that alone would shape who she becomes. In responsible breeding, a singleton puppy isn’t just “one puppy instead of eight.” It’s a developmental curveball.
Littermates teach each other everything — bite inhibition, frustration tolerance, body language, boundaries, how to play, how to lose, how to win, how to share space, how to negotiate conflict. It’s the first little ecosystem a dog learns to navigate. When a puppy doesn’t have that built‑in classroom, responsible breeders have to step in and intentionally recreate those lessons.
Cloning isn’t just about DNA. It’s about development, environment, and experience. If Junie were a singleton, someone had to do all of this behind the scenes to give her the social skills she’d usually learn from siblings.
Most people assume cloning gives you the same dog. But even something as simple as “were there littermates?” can change the entire trajectory of who that dog becomes. Not to mention, whatever the original dog went through between birth and adoption into Tom Brady’s household shaped her in ways the new puppy will never experience.
The Magic Cloning Can’t Touch
When Tom Brady announced that he had cloned his dog, he said something that I think many of us can relate to in the rawness of grief: “I love my animals. They mean the world to me and my family.”
I understand that sentiment deeply. My thoughts on the cloning of his dog is not criticizing his “why” for wanting a do-over. When you’ve lost a once‑in‑a‑lifetime dog, the idea of getting even a shadow of them back can feel like a lifeline. He also described Junie as “a second chance,” cloned from his late dog, Lua.
And again — I get it. If someone had offered me a “second chance” with Jax or Tink, or with Babe or Dutch who came before them, I don’t know that I would have had the emotional clarity to say no. Each of their passing left me hollowed out, gutted, as if part of my own soul had gone with them.
But everything I’ve spent this entire piece trying to illuminate is that dogs are not just DNA.
They are not photocopies.
They are not replaceable.
And they are certainly not guaranteed to be the same simply because the genetic code matches.
In purpose‑bred breeding, DNA is a critical component, but it’s not the only factor in who your dog becomes. Every dog is shaped by the home they land in, the people who raise them, the littermates who teach them, the accidents, the triumphs, the quirks, the timing, the chaos, and the love. That’s the miracle of not just dogs, but of all life.
That’s the magic.
That’s the part cloning can’t touch.
The thing is, it’s not up to me to be the moral or ethical police on cloning or the science involved.
But I can’t help wanting people to understand what responsible dog breeding actually entails — and why cloning doesn’t seem to be part of that equation.
And honestly, it’s ironic: Tom Brady, the so‑called GOAT, cloned his dog — but if someone cloned him, would that clone automatically become a Hall‑of‑Fame quarterback? Of course not. Because greatness isn’t in the DNA. It’s in the life lived.
