An 11-month old Tibetan Mastiff pup named Big Splash (“Hong Dong” in Chinese) recently sold in the Chinese city of Qingdao for 10 million yuan (US $1.5 million).
The 3-foot-tall, 180-pound dog is one of a breed that has been around since time immemorial. Tibetan mastiffs are said to have guarded nomad camps and monasteries, and are rarely seen outside of Tibet.
Thought to be among the world’s oldest and most respected breeds, legend claims that Genghis Khan had a Tibetan mastiff and so did the Buddha. The breed was also popular among European royalty and in the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs.
Over the past several years, they have become status symbols among China’s growing wealthy classes, driving up their price from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands.
Raised on a diet of beef, chicken, abalone and sea cucumber, “he is a perfect specimen,” his breeder, identified only as Mr. Lou, told the British newspaper.
“He has excellent genes and will be a good breeding dog. When I started in this business, 10 years ago, I never thought we would see such a price.” Lou declined to identify Big Splash’s new owner, other than to say that he is a multimillionaire who made his fortune in coal.
And given the rising popularity of the breed, it may be that the owner can make some of his investment back by offering the dog’s services at stud. Some breeders are willing to pay as much as $100,000 to get a dipper out of Big Splash’s gene pool.
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