Tibetan mastiffs are like the fluffy versions of fierce lions. Except, of course, that they’re more desirable to have as a pet than actual lions because they probably won’t kill you. So how high a price would you go to have this ferocious but adorable companion as a pet? $2 million maybe? that seems fair, right?
The Qianjiang Evening News reported that a property developer purchased the one-year-old dog for 12 millian yuan, or $1.9 million, at a Luxury Pet Fair in Zhejiang, China. The beautiful golden-haired dog in question is about 80 cm (31 inches, or about 2.5 feet) tall and is said to weigh around 90 kilos (200 pounds). The new owner is apparently hoping to use his newly adopted pet to breed more dogs himself. So instead of flipping property, he’ll be flipping puppies, we guess?
Besides being a very rare breed, mastiffs are a status symbol for wealth in China.  According to the original breeder, Zhang Gengyun, “They have lion’s blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs.” He also adds, “Pure Tibetan mastiffs are very rare, just like our nationally treasured pandas, so the prices are so high.”
The last time a mastiff went for so much money was in 2011, when a red mastiff was reportedly sold for 10 million yuan, or $1.5 million. However, the owner of a mastiff breeding website was also quoted by the Qianjiang Evening News as saying that last year one animal sold for 27 million yuan, which is something just over $4 million.
If you would like a tibetan mastiff of your very own, then take heart: you might not get the best most beautiful dog ever to exist, but you can usually find one from a reputable breeder here for about $2000. Still expensive, of course, but it’s a small price to pay to own a big ol’ friendly lion dog.
(via Huffington Post, image via Kenneth Cole Schneider)
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