I saw the other day that Barbra Streisand cloned her beloved dog. Her reason – “…to keep some part of her alive.” This got my attention first off because Barbra’s dog is a curly haired Coton de Tulear, the same breed, and type as our Cody. The article mentions that curly haired Cotons are hard to find, seems that the straight haired ones are more in fashion. This surprised me because I picked Cody out partly for his cute curly hair. Probably reminded me of the curly hair my kid sister displayed proudly when we were growing up. There I would be, standing next to her, full of envy because I had the straight straggly kind.
The second connection I made comes from my being an expert on grief and loss. I look with special interest at how people process significant losses. I know the loss of a pet, particularly one who has been a member of the household for many years; a daily companion, a suitemate, and a best friend can be one of the most significant losses a person can experience.
Since people who don’t have pets are often unable to fully understand a pet lover’s grief, there are multiple books, websites and radio shows offering sympathy, tips, and tools for people dealing with the loss of a pet. When a friend of mine, a professional counselor Karen Litzinger lost her own dog, she was inspired to put together a CD, Healing Your Heart: Coping with the Loss of a Pet. She becomes certified as a pet loss counselor through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. She developed a phone, in person, and online counseling service to help people grieving their pets. http://gardensvet.com/PetLossNew.html
http://www.healfrompetloss.com/
Not everyone would go as far as my friend Karen did, but it does illustrate one of the ways that people deal with the death of a person or a pet. One of the gifts of grief is compassion, and it moves us to act to assist others experiencing the same kind of loss.
Few people would or could go as far as Barbra did to clone her pet. The expense of that project is more than most mere mortals could afford, but the desire to continue a relationship with a deceased loved one is common to most people in grief. Grieving people also want to continue the loved ones’ spirit in some way in the world.
This incident with Barbra’s dog made me think about parents who have a child die suddenly. How in the midst of their own grief, they donate their child’s organs in order to save another’s life, and to keep some part of their loved one alive.
But since we’re talking about cloning, I have to say, people are unique, curly haired or straight haired, and so are our pets. Neither people nor dogs are interchangeable. Even in cloning, Barbra found that to be the case. She shared her hard-earned wisdom. “You can clone the look but you can’t clone the soul. Still, every time I look at their faces, I think of my Samantha and I smile.”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/comment/966301
