Shanghai Woman Spends ₹19 Lakh to ‘Bring Back’ Pet Dog That Died in 2022

How far would you go to reunite with a beloved pet? A woman in Shanghai has stunned the internet after reportedly spending a whopping ₹19 lakh to 'bring back' her pet dog, who passed away in 2022. While you might wonder how, let us reveal she turned to cloning to get a similar-looking furry companion to her home. The new doggy resembled her previous pet so much that it was as if she brought back her deceased pet into life.

A woman in Shanghai, China has made headlines for spending 160,000 yuan (nearly ₹19 lakh) to clone her late pet dog. While one can think of it as heartwarming act of love, the second thought strikes whether a cloned pet can ever truly replace the original.

Cloned dog

The woman, identified by her surname Xu, lost her beloved Doberman, Joker, in November 2022 after the 11-year-old dog succumbed to a heart attack. Heartbroken, the woman, who has a medical background, took the help of China’s advancements in cloning to bring home Joker through science. Notably, China's first cloned dog (gene editing) came to life in 2017.

While bringing the dead animal to life wasn't a choice, she managed to get a clone of Joker by shelling out lakhs at the medical procedure.

“Joker was my closest friend...I lacked experience raising Joker and left many regrets. Little Joker gives me a second chance to love and care for it fully,” Xu told local media outlet SCMP.

After consulting cloning experts at an unnamed facility, she went ahead with an ultrasound report confirming the success of the medical experiment.

In 2024, Xu finally welcomed her new pet—whom she named "Little Joker".

The cloned dog's looks were quite identical to her previous pet, including a black spot near the nose. To her amazement, the cloned dog not only looked like Joker but also mirrored his behaviour, from stealing socks to drinking water the same way. The most emotional moment came when Little Joker picked up the same leash Joker had used for years and carried it around.