Barbra Streisand loved her deceased dog so much she cloned it twice - and Peta are not impressed

Barbra Streisand has said she cloned her favourite dog twice after it passed away last year.

The legendary musical actress said she was so enamoured with her 14-year-old Coton du Tulear Samantha that she had it replicated, she revealed in a wide-ranging interview with Variety.

Scientists took cells from the animal's stomach and mouth in order to replicate the beloved pooch. The procedure can cost up to $100,000.

According to Streisand, she now dresses the dogs, named Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett, in yellow and red in order to tell them apart.

"They have different personalities," she said. "I'm waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her brown eyes and her seriousness."

A spokesperson for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said they do not condone animal cloning and wish they had "talked her out of it."

"We all want our beloved dogs to live forever, but while it may sound like a good idea, cloning doesn't achieve that", spokeswoman Ingrid Newkirk told Page Six.

"Animals' personalities, quirks, and very 'essence' simply cannot be replicated, and when you consider that millions of wonderful adoptable dogs are languishing in animal shelters every year or dying in terrifying ways when abandoned, you realize that cloning adds to the homeless-animal population crisis."

Anyone who follows the Brooklyn-born singer on Instagram will know of her obsession with her Coton du Tulear. The breed is known for its soft white hair and is considered the national dog of Madagascar.