Tibetan mastiffs are large, strong dogs with an independent character and innate need for guardianship. They are defenders and faithful friends.

The Tibetans say they have three treasures: sharp knives, fast horses and Tibetan mastiffs.

Until recently, the breed was quite rare even in its own homeland of Tibet, where together with its native inhabitants, that they have guarded for millennia, have experienced the victims of the Chinese Communist system … Mao’s army exterminated the followers of Buddhism and destroyed the Tibetan monasteries, killing the Tibetan mastiffs who guarded them.

At the beginning of the 21st century, there was a fashion for this race, which became a symbol of the prosperity of fast-growing Chinese. Due to the astronomical price paid for puppies of this breed, it was labeled the most expensive dog in the world, and people who want big money start breed TM in China and many other places in the world.

Like every fashion, also the trend for Tibetan mastiffs has passed away and demand has fallen drastically. Tibetan breeders lacked buyers for their puppies, and in many cases they started releasing dogs and the Chinese sold them to slaughterhouses.

Right now, roaming packs of hungry Tibetan Mastiffs are a threat to the ecosystem on a big area of the Roof of the World… People trying to provide care to hundreds of these stray dogs is a drop in the sea of ​​needs.

Fortunately throughout the world (also in China) there are enthusiasts, whose for purpose is preserving the original character of this wonderful breed. 

 

photo: Nam Kha kennel