48-year-old who ‘couldn’t function’ after her dog’s death spent $50K to clone him — but the result left her instantly regretting her ‘crazy’ decision

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of pet loss that some readers may find distressing.

Ten years ago, a woman welcomed home a 6-year-old Shih Tzu, Oliver. However, tragedy struck when the pup passed away from cancer. Unable to cope with the sudden loss of her canine companion, 48-year-old Venessa Johnson immediately chose to clone her dog for $50,000 and welcomed "another" pup, Ollie, into her life. However, now the dog owner believes that her impulsive decision may not have been the right choice she made. On her way to get her new cloned pup in Rochester, New York, on November 24, 2025, Johnson started reflecting on her unconventional decision. 

When Venessa Johnson's long-time four-legged friend Oliver was 17, he died after a 2-year battle with cancer in his beloved owner's arms. The passing of her "child" was devastating. "Oliver was everything to me. I've been single for a very long time, so Oliver has been my main focus," she told PEOPLE. Oliver wasn't just a pet to Johnson. He stood by her during all times and was the reason for giving meaning to her life. Unable to cope with the grief, she frantically began searching for pet grief online, and that's when she stumbled upon an unusual option: pet cloning.

"Cloning gave me hope—it gave me something to hold onto when I felt like I was drowning," Johnson shared. She explained that the process involved a veterinarian taking skin samples from her pet that would be sent to the cloning company. As the cells multiplied, they removed the donor's DNA and replaced it with Oliver's DNA, while the clone was born through a surrogate dog.

The procedure cost her $50,000, but the team was able to create an embryo in the third attempt, despite having Oliver's body frozen post mortem. Three pups were born, one of which was Oliver's clone, whom she named Ollie. However, 11 months following Ollie's birth, Johnson started having second thoughts about her hasty choice. "I know it's not Oliver coming back to me. It's a piece of him, but it's not him." In her TikTok video (@venessamj), posted on November 22, 2025, the dog owner expressed disappointment about her decision and said, “I made this decision out of profound grief when I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm not proud of it, but I'm also human.” Passionate about animal rescue, the dog owner admitted that her decision was "crazy" and "surreal", but as with any pet parent in grief, she only wanted to be reunited with her beloved pooch. "I think what I did is crazy, it's completely surreal. But grief does strange things to you, and at the time, I wasn't thinking clearly, and no one could talk me out of it."

In hindsight, she feels that following the death of her pet, she has been able to find freedom from anxiety and turmoil, which she suffered due to Oliver's medical treatments. "On one hand, it was amazing seeing this new pup that looks exactly like my previous pup, but on the other hand, it also made me sad and miss my Oliver," she shared. Johnson highlighted the importance of foster and adoption, and shared that she plans to foster older dogs and use her platform to spread awareness, once her new puppy is fully trained. She also added that this was her first time owning a puppy, and she is looking forward to her new companion.

For more videos, you can follow @venessamj on TikTok.

If you’re grieving the loss of a companion animal, please reach out to Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline at 1‑607‑218‑7457.