I saw this article on MSNBC yesterday.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38263729/
This is scary. An incredibly powerful breed that most people have no business owning. From the article:
"In China, breeders say that adult Tibetan mastiffs typically sell for tens of thousands of dollars, with some going for more than $100,000, according to the Associated Press.
The popularity is apparently driven by Chinese millionaires. “Most buyers are wealthy people, like entrepreneurs,” said Wen. “The newly rich want to show off their status by owning such a precious dog, which makes them feel really confident and powerful.”
The owner of the $600K dog has 40 other TM dogs and keeps them in cages. He is actually afraid of his expensive, powerful dog.
Also disgusting in the article is this statement:
"Breeders like Zhao Yanjun have no shortage of love for the dogs. “At the beginning I liked them, because I liked big dogs,” he told us. “Then I realized I could make a lot of money from them. And now I’m really in love with them.”
Zhao, whose kennel is in far northeastern Beijing, was a chicken farmer who made several thousand dollars when he began raising Tibetan mastiffs seven years ago. “I can easily make half a million U.S. dollars a year now,” he said. As if to underscore his point, there was a Porsche SUV behind him."