Chinese dog breeder says he sold Tibetan mastiff for $2 million to property developer

BEIJING – A Chinese dog breeder says a property developer has paid 12 million yuan ($2 million) for a Tibetan mastiff.

The large, slobbery dog with massive amounts of hair best known for herding sheep in Tibet has become a status symbol for China's rich.

The sales took place Tuesday at a luxury dog fair in wealthy Zhejiang province on the east coast.

Breeder Zhang Gengyun said Thursday that the buyer from east China paid for 1-year-old twin dogs on his credit card. The second was half the price of the first.

Zhang denied the sale was a ploy by breeders to hype the price of Tibetan mastiffs and said he was reluctant to sell them.