Big Splash

Would you pay $1.6 million (£1 million) for man’s best friend? That’s what a Chinese buyer paid; making this Red Tibetan Mastiff puppy named Big Splash, or “Hong Dong” has the honors of being the worlds most expensive.

These huge and fierce guard dogs are thought to be one of the world’s oldest breeds, and legend has it that both Genghis Khan and Lord Buddha kept them. More recently, however, they have become highly-prized status symbols for China’s new rich.

The 11-months-old  already stands nearly three-feet-high at the shoulder and weighs more than 180lbs, according to his breeder, Lu Liang.

“He is a perfect specimen,” said Mr Lu, who runs the Tibetan Mastiff Garden in Laoshan, near the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. “He has excellent genes and will be a good breeding dog. When I started in this business, ten years ago, I never thought we would see such a price.”

Mr Lu said the details of the sale were confidential, but revealed that the buyer, who payed 10 million yuan (£945,000), was a multi-millionaire coal baron from the north of China.

Back in 2009, Chinese millionaire Ms. Wang bought a Tibetan Mastiff named Yangtze River Number Two for $582,000. This lucky dog (world’s second most expensive now) was escorted to his new home by a motorcade of 30 black limousines.

[Cheers telegraph.co.uk]