$1.5 Million! That’s One Expensive Dog

A new world record for the highest price ever paid for a dog was set in China last week.

A Tibetan Mastiff named Big Splash (Hong Dong in Chinese, please no jokes), sold for 10 million yuan. That's about 1.5 million U.S. dollars.

The Tibetan Mastiff has long been a coveted breed in China. They date back centuries and are said to have guarded monasteries and nomad camps. Genghis Khan even owned one. The picture here is a typical color for the dog, but Big Splash is a nice reddish orange color.

And they are big dogs. Big Splash weighs about 180 pounds at his current age of 11 months. I'm guessing he is going to top out at around 200 pounds.

The breed is rarely seen outside of Tibet. They've always been expensive, going for hundreds of dollars a few years back. But now they are considered status symbols among China's new rich population, and prices have skyrocketed. Big Splash's new owner is a hugely successful businessman in the coal industry, according to the report of sale.

And the new owner might just get his money back. Breeders are expected to line up for a shot at the Big Splash gene pool at a cost of around $100,000 per....service.

You can see a nice photo of Big Splash here where I sourced the story at today.msnbc.msn.com .