The internet is a wonderful tool but can also be used for nefarious reasons. One of the most negative sides of the internet is the constant use of essentially lying about people. A common internet rumor, for example, is that Barbra Streisand cloned her dog – twice. Most assume that this is some weird internet joke or a meme, but it’s not – it is actually true!
When her dog Samantha became old and started to gradually fall ill, Streisand wanted to keep her in her life. As anyone who has lost a pet will attest, moving on can be incredibly hard. Streisand, though, was able to put to use some modern cloning technology to have her dog cloned twice into new little puppies.
While the average person on the street likely cannot afford such a move, Streisand certainly can. So, she paid the big bucks to have her dog literally cloned. ViaGen, the company behind the cloning program, charged around $100,000 to clone the dog twice, according to reports.
However, the result was literally being able to have her dog back in her life. Streisand had noted in the past that the dog had been part of her life for fourteen years, and was a major part of her traveling party for performances and the like. As such, losing her dear Samantha would have been too much.
The cloning process produced two cute little puppies who could essentially take on the role of Samantha when the fateful time came. While cloning cannot literally keep the same dog alive, it is something that is becoming increasingly popular for those who want to keep familiarity alive.
Miss Scarlett and Miss Violet, then, will be joined by an adopted pup in Miss Fanny, named after the character that Streisand played in Funny Girl.
While some critiqued the start for not simply adopting a dog from a shelter, of which many exist, for her personally it seemed like the right decision. If you have the money there and the desire, then why not?