The West Australian March 16, 2011
If the thought of spending $500 on a puppy causes you to break into a sweat, spare a thought for the new owner of the most expensive dog in the world.
A Chinese coal tycoon has forked out 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) on Hong Dong, an 11-month-old Red Tibetan Mastiff puppy.
The dog, whose name means "big splash" in Chinese, weighs 82kg and is nearly 1m high.
The dog had been raised in eastern China on a diet of beef and chicken . . . and the occasional sea cucumber and abalone, his breeder said.
"It is thought Big Splash could be hired out to other breeders as a stud for 100,000 yuan ($15,300) per time, with China's growing upper class increasingly keen on the breed due to its exclusivity," The Daily Maily has reported.
"Big Splash has taken the title of world's most expensive dog from a fellow Tibetan Mastiff, with the oddly-named Yangtze River Number Two selling for 4 million yuan in 2009."
Another of the dogs, Red Lion, was valued at 10 million yuan last year after it won a mastiff exhibition, The Mail said.
"Reputedly owned by Genghis Khan and Lord Buddha, Red Tibetan Mastiffs are atypically found outside Tibet and are viewed as a pure 'Chinese' breed," the report said.
"The breed is also considered one of the oldest pure breeds in the world and there are thought to be less than 20 remaining in Tibet.
"The mastiffs have become a sought-after status symbol for China's newest millionaires, with rare stamps, antique vases and vintage wines also fetching huge sale prices in recent years."
A Chinese coal tycoon has forked out 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) on Hong Dong, an 11-month-old Red Tibetan Mastiff puppy.
The dog, whose name means "big splash" in Chinese, weighs 82kg and is nearly 1m high.
The dog had been raised in eastern China on a diet of beef and chicken . . . and the occasional sea cucumber and abalone, his breeder said.
"It is thought Big Splash could be hired out to other breeders as a stud for 100,000 yuan ($15,300) per time, with China's growing upper class increasingly keen on the breed due to its exclusivity," The Daily Maily has reported.
"Big Splash has taken the title of world's most expensive dog from a fellow Tibetan Mastiff, with the oddly-named Yangtze River Number Two selling for 4 million yuan in 2009."
Another of the dogs, Red Lion, was valued at 10 million yuan last year after it won a mastiff exhibition, The Mail said.
"Reputedly owned by Genghis Khan and Lord Buddha, Red Tibetan Mastiffs are atypically found outside Tibet and are viewed as a pure 'Chinese' breed," the report said.
"The breed is also considered one of the oldest pure breeds in the world and there are thought to be less than 20 remaining in Tibet.
"The mastiffs have become a sought-after status symbol for China's newest millionaires, with rare stamps, antique vases and vintage wines also fetching huge sale prices in recent years."
