And you thought buying a purebred lab was expensive.
In what might be the most expensive dog sale ever, a property developer paid 12 million yuan—or $1.9 million—for a Tibetan mastiff puppy on Wednesday.
He acquired the one-year-old golden-haired mastiff at a “luxury pet” fair Tuesday in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, according to the Qianjiang Evening News.
“They have lion’s blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs,” the dog’s breeder, Zhang Gengyun, told the paper. Another of his red-haired pups sold for six million yuan, he added.
Tibetan mastiffs, which are enormous and sometimes ferocious, bear a passing resemblance to lions—if you squint. They’re now a prized status symbol among China’s elite, causing prices to skyrocket.
The animal sold on Wednesday is reportedly 31 inches tall and weighs nearly 200 pounds. That’s a lot of dog, although maybe not enough to warrant $1.9 million.
In the market for a high-priced canine? Check out our list of 10 incredibly expensive breeds.