Hundreds of the hairy dogs were on hand, and owners and handlers marched the most expensive ones down catwalks as though they were fashion models. Some carried the names of wealthy Americans like "Warren Buffett," while others were called "God" and "Prince."
Their hoped-for prize: breeders willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a mate for their mastiff。
数百只毛茸茸的大狗到场,狗主人和驯狗师让最昂贵的那些在秀场上亮相,仿佛它们是时装模特。一些狗起了“巴菲特”这样的美国富人的名字,其他的还有叫“上帝”、“王子”的。他们希望得到的大奖是,饲养者愿意支付几万美元和他们的藏獒配种。隋花了4.3万美元弄到一个大展示台和一个贴满海报的摊位来炫耀他的狗。
The craze seems to defy sales patterns and common sense elsewhere, especially for a dog that is common and is known for being fierce。
"I can understand racehorses and diamonds, but I don't understand why someone would want to pay half a million dollars for a dog," said Martha Feltenstein, president of the American Tibetan Mastiff Association。
In the US, Tibetan mastiff pups can be bought for as little as several hundred dollars, Feltenstein said。
Breeders in China say adult Tibetan mastiffs sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and can even go for more than $100,000.
这种狂热似乎与其他地方的销售模式和常规相违背,尤其是对于一种以凶猛而著称的普通狗来说。“我能理解赛马和钻石,但没法理解为什么有些人想为一只狗花上50万美元”,美国藏獒协会主席玛莎•费尔滕斯坦说,“它们相对而言寿命不长,而且并非特别稀有。所以,它们能在中国被炒到这么高的价格,令人费解。”费尔滕斯坦说,在美国,区区几百美元就能买到藏獒。而中国的饲养者称,藏獒卖到几万美元,甚至超过10万美元。