China's latest must-have luxury for the ultra-rich, to go with mansions and sports cars, is a large, slobbery dog with massive amounts of hair best known for herding sheep in Tibet.

对中国的富人来说，除了豪宅和跑车，最新的奢侈品就是拥有大大的，流着口水的，毛茸茸的西藏牧羊犬。

Pet ownership is booming in China, and the Tibetan mastiff is the dog of the moment for those who want to spread their wealth beyond stocks and real estate.

宠物饲养在国内非常盛行，而对那些想要在股票和房地产之外挥洒财富的人来说，藏獒正对了他们的胃口。

"I used to invest in German shepherds, but Tibetan mastiffs are what's hot right now," said Sui Huizheng, a business owner who has about 20 of the dogs and attended the 6th annual China Tibetan Mastiff Expo this past weekend."

“我过去投资德国牧羊犬，但当前藏獒是热门，”生意人隋辉正拥有大概20条藏獒，他参加了上周末举行的第六届中国年度藏獒展览会。

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."

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藏獒在秀场上亮相，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，另外还有叫“上帝”、“王子”的藏獒。

Their hoped-for prize: breeders willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a mate for their mastiff.

他们希望得到的奖品是：狗主人愿意支付几万美元和他们的藏獒配种。

The craze seems to defy sales patterns and common sense elsewhere, especially for a dog that is common and is known for being fierce.

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。

"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.

“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。

In the US, Tibetan mastiff pups can be bought for as little as several hundred dollars, Feltenstein said.

费尔滕斯坦表示，在美国，区区几百美元就能买到藏獒的幼仔。

Breeders in China say adult Tibetan mastiffs sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and can even go for more than 100,000.

而中国的饲养者称，成年藏獒可以卖到几万美元，甚至超过10万美元。

After splurging on real estate in Australia, American thoroughbreds and European designer fashions, China's rich see the Tibetan mastiffs as a new status symbol.

继澳大利亚房地产、美国顶级汽车和欧洲设计师的时装之后，中国的富人们把藏獒当成了一个新的身份象征。

uxury brands are growing at phenomenal rates in China and owning a Tibetan mastiff is another channel for increasing your credibility and showing off your rich status.

奢侈品牌在中国正以惊人的速度增长，拥有一只藏獒是增强信誉和炫富的另一个渠道。