YUSHU, Tibet: It weighs up to 250 pounds. It was once described by Marco Polo as being "as tall as a donkey and with a voice of a lion". It is regarded as 'the fiercest dog in the world'. And you can have one for only $594,000.00.
Tibetan Mastiffs, also known as Do-khyi in Tibetan, or Bhote Kurur in Nepali, are some of the most massive dogs around. Despite their wrinkled appearance, they are intelligent, fearless and faithful, making excellent family protectors.
This rare and ancient breed of dog is a huge animal and has a double coat well-adapted to freezing temperatures and thin air. Known as "the defender of women and children" in its native land, this dog also acts as guardians of herds of yak and horses, or flocks of sheep and goats. They are ferocious enough to confront predators the size of wolves, leopards, and even an occasional bear.
While you can get an Ashera cat for $22,000, the Tibetan Mastiff is definitely the most expensive dog in the world. In fact, the Tibetan Mastiff is also among the rarest, with only 100 pure-bred animals in existence, according to www.news.com.au. This noble animal is now the latest must-have accessory for China's wealthy elite, who are more than willing to shell out as much as 4.5 million yuan ($600,000) for a pure-bred specimen.
Tibetan Mastiffs were domesticated in the mountainous regions of Tibet some 6000 years as a flock dog, and were used as guard dogs outside the sacred city of Lhasa. They are regarded as the oldest, biggest and fiercest of domestic dogs. And their scarcity and reputation have transformed them into a status symbol for China's nouveau rich.
In fact, many rich Chinese now visit the annual Yushu horce-racing festival (on the border between Qinghai province and Tibet) for a chance to get their hands on a pure-bred puppy or two.
The Times Online visited the festival and found several dozen of these Tibetan Mastiffs lolling around on Tibetan rugs, and shaded by beach umbrellas from the hot sun. One of these large dogs had a glossy black head and back, with a yellow-brown underbelly and paws - an "iron and gold" male, the Tibetan breeder called it. It's price tag? 300,000 yuan - or almost $40,000.
"Chinese see these dogs as a way to show off their wealth because they are rare," 16-year-old breeder Jiangyong Yixi told The Times. "They will attack a bear or a tiger to protect their owners herds of sheep and yaks in Tibet."
However, it seems that you don't need to bankrupt yourself to get yourself one of these adorable brutes. In fact, Tibetan Mastiff Info is urging people interested in Tibetan Mastiffs to adopt from the ATMA Rescue or the TMCA Rescue.
The website gives important tips on welcoming a Tibetan Mastiff into your home, as well as guides to grooming and handling, and even hooking you up to fellow owners as well as breeders, enthusiasts and volunteers.
The fiercest dog in the world from the land of tranquility and spiritual harmony - just slightly ironic.
who in their right mind would buy a dog like that? its not only scary to have one...it is also so expensive!
I've never heard of this breed! They look kinda cute... like an over-grown puppy. =) I sure would like to see one Tibetan Mastiff in the future.
First a $72,000 dog and now a half a mil dollar dog? whew these dogs are like gold
too rich for my blood! no dog should be worth that much.
Some people make dogs their accessory, especially those hollywood chicks. Now dogs are status symbols. Can't pets be just pets?
wow! that is one handsome dog! i would love to have one if i can afford it.
these dogs are bought to show off money which is sad.. if you really care about animals you should just adopt and use all that money to help other animals who are suffering...
Goodness! This is way too much! I couldn't believe people pay this much for a dog! Yeah, for me it looks cute - like a harmless little bear. But no thanks! It might just pounce on me and attack me all of a sudden. I'm happy with my little doggy and for me, she's worth more than a million bucks!
OK, it says in the article that you can adopt this huge pooch. If you could have it for free, why the heck put such a price tag on it? crazy people. They priced this dog so high. No one could afford it so they ended up giving 'em free for adoption?
Man look at the size of that dog! It's even heavier than me! the high price tag - does it go along with it being so big and heavy? Why would you pay for one if you could get it for free? Makes no sense to me.
ofcourse ppl buy it so dey can boast abt it..
adopting from a rescue group is never free.It's not even fun. you have to go trhough all kinds of checks-references, vet reference, home visits and after all that you may not get a dog either.They try to match the dog to the best home they have. The website doesn't have any for adoption -they just want an owner to surrender his-and so it goes- to all a good day.
Thats a fine point uve got there ms grunds. Adoption sounds like easy, like picking up something from the grocery but it can be much more tedious than buying a pet and it takes a real hardcore pet lover to want to go through that.If uve got the money and you dont have bad intentions theres nothing wrong with paying for your pet.
I don't know where the author got her information, but she referenced the wrong rescue site. This Tibetan Mastiff Rescue has lots of information on these dogs and many available: www.tibetanmastiff.org/HTMLfiles/Rescue/TMrescue.htm I COMPLETELY disagree with her saying there are only 100 left. Maybe she means in China? This breed just became AKC recognized, and there are far more then only 100 purebreds left. I just did a search and these dogs are going for anywhere from 0 to ,500, I think she's referring to their cost in China.
Adopting a dog is not a super difficult thing. If you go to a responsible, GOOD breeder it will be much more difficult to get a dog. Most breeders require an application to be filled out. Also, go to petfinder.com you can find thousands of homeless dogs, including some Tibetan Mastiffs.
well according to the article she got it from www.news.com.au..
The writer appears slightly misinformed..
There are not just a 100 such magnificient dogs left and they are not all that costly.
I have five TM at my farmhouse in Jharkhand (India) and they did not cost much in INR (keeping in view US $ conversion rates!).
The dogs are really good guards of house and family. They are a tried and tested force.
The area where I live is often rattled with armed robberies perpetrated at night time and once an attempt was also made at my farmhouse. Two robbers died under the fangs of the TMs and my fleet of GSDs and Rotts!
Own one to know one...
regards to all Dog lovers