The World’s Most Expensive Dog

Meet The World’s Most Expensive Dog

They say money can’t buy love – but £1 million will get you man’s most expensive best friend.

A red Tibetan mastiff has become the priciest dog in the world after being sold for 10 million Chinese yuan, or £945,000 or US$1.5m.

Big Splash, or Hong Dong in Chinese, was bought by a coal baron from the north of China.
And it’s lucky his new master is a multi-millionaire, because the hefty price tag doesn’t factor in Big Splash’s diet – enough chicken and beef to fill a growing 180 lbs dog, spiced up with Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone.

Pricey pup: A Red Tibetan Mastiff called Big Splash has become the world’s most expensive dog

His owner will need a big house too, as adult Tibetan Mastiffs have been known to weigh as much as 286 lb, or more than 20 stone – the same as a size able rugby player. However the typical weight for a fully grown Tibetan Mastiff is around 13 stone.

But according to breeder Lu Liang, Big Splash is a ‘perfect specimen’ and the extravagant price for the 11-month-old is completely justified.

He said: ‘We have spent a lot of money raising this dog, and we have the salaries of plenty of staff to pay’ – adding that the new owner could charge almost £10,000 a time for Big Splash to breed with a female.
The high price paid for the dog is a sign that the red Tibetan mastiff has become a status symbol in China, replacing jewellery and cars as a way for the super-rich to show off their wealth.

Not only is red considered a lucky colour, but Tibetan mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners’ health and security.

Tibetans believe the dogs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated as humans or into Shambhala, the heavenly realm.

Owners of the breed have included Queen Victoria, King George IV and Genghis Khan – who supposedly took 30,000 of the dogs with his army in his bid to conquer Western Europe.

Ancient breed: The dog is a descendant of animals kept by nomadic Chinese tribes

These days there are only around 300 Tibetan mastiffs in the UK , and puppies sell for a more reasonable £850 to £1,000.

James Pally, a Tibetan mastiff breeder from Pantymwyn near Mold in Flintshire, North Wales, said:
‘They are very smart and they think for themselves and can sense danger very acutely.
‘Tibetan mastiffs were originally used to guard the livestock and they are very good with other animals and they love children.

‘I have six of them and if you don’t give them enough attention they sit in front of the TV.’

The title of most expensive dog in the world was previously held by a Tibetan mastiff called Red Lion, who was valued at £915,000 last year.

Animal Prosthetics

People have been applying prosthesis to help the handicapped ones ever since the Egyptians – but probably only recently we realized, we’re not the only ones suffering the pain on Earth. Unlike people, animals can’t cry or complain about the pain, and the less resilient ones lead a much shorter and harder life in case of any accident. Even though veterinarians do provide considerable help, more serious surgeries or even usage of a special prosthetic is a fairly recent thing the humanity started doing for the animals.

While in the wild, animals can get hurt in a number of different ways, be that a disease or an accident, getting harmed by a human or larger predators, or any other. However, now more and more centers worldwide are applying mechanisms to help the animals recover from the injury and live as normal of a life as possible. Check out some inspiring examples of the how people have helped the animals by fitting them with a prosthetic needed!

Eagle

This bald eagle, named Beauty, was shot by a poacher. After three years a group of volunteers made her a prosthetic beak, which was a key to her survival: an eagle, which has to be hand-fed, is eventually euthanized, and Beauty was once again able to grasp food herself.
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Motala the Elephant

Motala, aged 50, lost a foot after he stepped on a land mine. Luckily, Thailand is the one country in the world with an elephant hospital running, and dedicated workers could take care of Motala.
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In the picture below, you can see Motala, age 50, who lost his foot after stepping on a land mine. Thanks to the dedicated workers at the elephant hospital located in Lampang, Thailand, the elephant received a new prosthetic leg.

Fuji the Dolphin

Due to a necrotic disease, 75% of Fuji’s fin had to be amputated. It was the Bridgestone company, one of the largest manufacturers of tires, that created a silicone replacement for Fuji, making her the first dolphin with a prosthetic fin.
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Horse

Riley’s leg bone began to deteriorate due to a contaminated metal plate that was inserted. Due to the injury, the mare had to be put down, but the sanctuary staff decided to try a pioneering operation, which gave Riley an artificial limb and saved her life.
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Tuly the Tortoise

While hibernating, Tuly had her leg chewed off by a rat. It was saved by fitting a toy tractor’s wheel to it.
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Oscar the Cat

A passer-by found Oscar injured by a combine harvester; as advised by a local vet, the owner of the cat from Jersey contacted a doctor in England, and after lots of x-rays being sent back and forth, the cat had two prosthetic legs fitted, as well as a rehab in the UK before coming back home.
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Cassidy the Dog

Cassidy was found wondering in streets, underweight and missing a leg: after one family decided to adopt and take care of the dog, they found a facility that could create a prosthetic limb, making Cassidy the first dog to receive such treatment.
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Uzonka the Stork

Uzonka was injured by an unknown person, and had to undergo 5 preparatory surgeries, before it could have a prosthesis attached to its bill.
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