The Most Expensive Dog: Red Tibetan Mastiff

• Published by Editorial Staff
• Posted on February 18, 2013
• Leave your thoughts
• Tweet

Would you like to spare a million dollar for a dog? We certainly know at least one person who did. A coal baron named Mr. Yang (as only his sir name has been revealed) from northern China has bought a dog for 1.5 million, that’s compatible to the price of a brand new Porsche 911. With this price a Red Tibetan Mastiff named “Big Splash” or Hong Dong, secured the top position on the list of most expensive dogs.

It took no time for the 1.5 million dollar mutt to get along with his new master and they became friends at first sight. The dog is 11 months old and weighs about 180lbs. The dog got quiet lucky as his owner is a multi-millionaire and has enough money to feed him tons of chicken and beef spiced up with abalone and sea cucumber. The owner of the dog will also require a big house for the dog as it is believed to grow as big as a rugby player.

Now you might be thinking that the price of the dog is way too much, but the breeder of the dog Lu Liang justifies the price by saying, “We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay”, he further added that every time the dog will breed with a female Red Tibetan Mastiff, its owner could make £10,000 i.e. $15,500. He claims the dog to be a “Perfect Specimen” of a Red Tibetan.

Still not satisfied? Then let’s find out what makes this particular dog different from the others:

1. The high priced dog is a symbol of status not just in China but all over the world substituting expensive jewelry and cars that were previously used to show off wealth
2. A typical adult Tibetan Mastiff weighs around 140 to 170lbs, whereas Big Splash only 11 months old is 180lbs, you can imagine its potential growth; as an adult it might reach up to 290lbs or even more than that
3. In Chinese culture color Red is thought to bring luck. The Red Tibetan Mastiffs are considered as holy animals that bless their owners with health and protection
4. Tibetans believe that the souls of monks and nuns who weren’t worthy to be either humans or Shambhalas( the heavenly realm) have been reincarnated as these dogs.
5. This breed is considered to be Royal as it belonged to Kings and Queens like King George IV, Queen Victoria and Genghis Khan who is believed to have 30,000 of these dogs when he was on his expedition to Western Europe.
6. Tibetans are very intelligent dogs. James Pally one of the breeders in North Whales says, “They are very smart and they think for themselves and can sense danger very acutely”.
7. Tibetan Mastiffs have always been domestic dogs and were previously used to guard livestock. They are very friendly creatures and are good to other animals and children.
8. In 13^th Century Marco Polo came across one of the Tibetan Mastiffs, he describes them as, “tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion”.

Still not convinced? Here are some other facts regarding the dog:

1. Another name used for Tibetan Mastiff is do-khyi, translated as door guard, home guard, dog which may be kept and dog that may be tied. The names reflect the fact that the dog is a born guardian.
2. It is believed that the Tibetan Mastiffs are descendants of wolves and it took them 58000 years to get genetically diverged.
3. The key selling point of Tibetan Mastiff is also their thick coating of fur that is found in red, black, gray, gold or brown color. They shed their fur once every year for a month.
4. They feed on organic foods such as boiled heads of fish, cod liver oil, egg shells (powdered) and also raw bones that help them keep their teeth clean.
5. Their life span ranges from 10 to 14 years and reach maturity at the age of 3 to 5 years. On average it reaches a height of 24 to 26 inches.
6. The litter size ranges from 5 to 12 puppies.
7. Previously the title of the most expensive dog was also held by Tibetan Mastiff named Red Lion which was sold for $1.4 million.
8. There are almost 300 Tibetan Mastiffs in UK.

For those who still don’t consider spending million dollars on a dog can buy Tibetan Mastiff puppies at a reasonable price of $1300 to $1550.

• Tweet