A young millionaire woman from China, known only as Ms. Wang, bought a Tibetan Mastiff for 4 million yuan or $582,000. This is the most expensive dog bought to date. Ms. Wang traveled to Qinghai province of northwest China to purchase the 18-month old dog. She named him Yangtze River Number Two. Yangtze came home at Xi’an airport in China’s Shaanxi province, where he was reportedly greeted by hordes of dog lovers and picked up on September 9 by a motorcade of 30 black Mercedes-Benz cars.
AFP - Getty Images
A woman, identified by only
the surname Wang, poses with her $582,000 dog as they are greeted by a
convoy of 30 black Mercedes-Benz cars at the airport in Xi'an, in
China's Shaanxi province, on September 9, 2009.
“Gold has a price, but this Tibetan Mastiff doesn’t,” she was quoted saying to Chinese publications on her return home. Tibetan Mastiffs are a fairly rare breed and typically cost about $2,000 in North America. They are more expensive in China where they are valued for their skills as guard dogs.
Ms. Wang has plans to mate Yangtze with another Tibetan Mastiff that she owns, according to Chinese reports.
A family in Florida previously held the record for the most expensive dog. The family paid $155,000 for a Labrador named Lancelot Encore, which was a clone of their dead dog, Lancelot.