A real estate mogul paid a combined 18 million yuan ($2.9m) for two Tibetan mastiffs at a luxury pet fair in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province on Tuesday, Qianjiang Evening News reported.
One of the dogs, a golden-maned puppy, was sold for a record breaking 12 million yuan ($1.9m) while his red-haired companion was purchased for 6 million yuan ($1m).
"They have lion's blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs," the dog's breeder Zhang Gengyun told reporters. "Pure Tibetan mastiffs are very rare, just like our nationally treasured pandas, so the prices are so high."
Prized for their intelligence and loyalty, Tibetan mastiffs have become a status symbol among China's wealthy, with the previous record holder 'Big Splash' selling for 10 million yuan in 2011, the most expensive dog sale ever at the time.
Zhang said that Tuesday's record breaking puppy stood at 80 cm (31 in) and weighed nearly 90 kg (200 pounds), adding that he was sad to sell both dogs.
Their buyer plans to use the dog's as an investment at his dog farm in Qingdao, Shandong province, in the hope of seeing returns when he puts them out to stud.
In August 2013, a zoo in Luohe, Henan province received complaints from angry visitors after it tried to pass off a Tibetan mastiff as a lion.
[Image via AFP/Getty Images]
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