Popularity of mastiffs threatens purity of breed

As the craze over the lion-like Tibetan mastiffs from the Himalayan plateau has swept over the country the last two decades, the percentage of dogs remaining purebred has witnessed a drastic drop, experts say.

"Mastiff fever has introduced the dogs, the treasure and guardian of the Himalayan plateau, to the whole country and also made its value rocket," said Huang Ding, secretary-general of the Mastiff Association of Tibet.

"This will lead to the extinction of the purebred ones if the market is not well managed and controlled," Huang said during a weeklong Himalayan mastiff exhibition that kicked off in the capital on Friday.

All 30 purebred mastiffs at the exhibit have gone through strict selection in Tibet, said You Wenfa, honorary president of the association.

The price of the dogs ranges from 200,000 yuan to 16 million yuan ($38,000 to $2.5 million).

"The valuations of all the mastiffs are some 80 million yuan," said You. "However, all the dogs are for exhibition and appreciation only this time, rather than for sale."

According to Huang, there are fewer than 300 purebred Himalayan mastiffs in the world.

From Tibetnews