Tibetan mastiff dog show in China - in pictures

Forget Crufts: real money changes hands south of Beijing where Tibetan mastiffs, a much sought after status symbol, are bought and sold for up to £500,000

  • Tibetan mastiff puppies are displayed for sale at a mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province, south of Beijing. Fetching prices around £500,000, mastiffs have become a prized status symbol among China's wealthy. Owners say the mastiffs, descendants of dogs used for hunting by nomadic tribes in central Asia and Tibet, are fiercely loyal and protective. Breeders still travel to the Himalayan plateau to collect young puppies, although many are unable to adjust to the low altitudes and die during the journey.
    Mastiff Show: Puppies in the trunk

  • A man walks his Tibetan mastiffs at a mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province, south of Beijing.
    Mastiff Show: A man walks his Tibetan mastiff dogs

  • Vendors gather on a stage with their Tibetan mastiffs.
    Mastiff Show: VVendors gather on a stage with their Tibetan mastiffs.

  • A seller counts money received for his Tibetan mastiff. Rich buyers across China have sent the price of the dogs skyrocketing.
    Mastiff Show: A seller counts money

  • Children at the mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province.
    Mastiff Show: Children at the mastiff show in Baoding, Hebei province.

  • A woman displays her Tibetan mastiff for sale.
    Mastiff Show: Cold Tibetan mastiff dog

  • Tibetan mastiff puppies are displayed for sale.
    Mastiff Show: Puppies on a cage

  • Two men walk away with their newly purchased Tibetan mastiff dogs.
    Mastiff Show: Two men walk away holding mastiffs

  • A Tibetan mastiff dog is displayed at the show in Baoding, Hebei province.
    Mastiff Show: A Tibetan mastiff dog close-up
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