Tibetan Mastiffs are huge and fierce guard dogs that have stood watch over
nomad camps and monasteries on the Tibetan plateau for centuries.
An ancient breed, they are thought to have been kept by both Genghis Khan and Lord Buddha. If true, pretty impressive. Perhaps, this legacy has heightened their value. Perhaps, it is because the Tibetan Mastiff is supposed to be a "pure" Chinese breed.
Accordingly, prices have risen from around 5,000 yuan a puppy five years ago
(approx. $761 American) to the hundreds of thousands and even millions.
Big Splash, or "Hong Dong" in Chinese, is 11-months-old but already
stands nearly three-feet-high at the shoulder and weighs more than 180lbs,
according to his breeder, Lu Liang.
Mr Lu said the details sales are confidential, but revealed that one
buyer, payed 10 million yuan (about $146,000 American), was a multi-millionaire coal
baron from the north of China.
Mr Lu said his dogs are fed a diet of chicken and beef, spiced up with
exotic Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone.
Before the sale, the world's most expensive dog was another Tibetan Mastiff,
named Yangtze River Number Two, who was sold in 2009 for four million yuan.
Filed under: dogs
Tags: Chinese dog, cost of dogs, dogs are worth?, selling dogs, selling pupplies, Tibetan Mastiff
