As a non dog-lover, I can't fathom why anyone would spend an amount enough to buy a decent house into one single dog.

Granted, the dog is one of rarest breed in this world-a Tibetan mastiff-which the owner claims to have "lion's blood and are top-of-the-range mastiff studs".

The dog's breeder Zhang Gengyun has a picture of himself with the dogs which have round manes lending them a passing resemblance to lions. They are a status symbol to some of China's wealthiest people.