• Dog Juice
  • Posts
  • 👀 The $150,000 dog you need to see.

👀 The $150,000 dog you need to see.

He's sweet as pie... and can rip your throat out.

Author

Chris Equale
July 11, 2024

Man’s best friend or navy seal? Meet a $150,000 dog.

What do you get for the security-conscious, uber-rich friend who has it all?

Houses with high walls, high-tech security systems, and surly bodyguards may previously have been the go-to, but for those who fancy a slightly more affectionate approach a company in Montana is offering “military grade” protection dogs for $150,000 each.

So, a guard dog?

Yes, but with a twist.

The breeder – Svalinn – touts the animals as a “one-of-a-kind hybrid” with the animals possessing elite, danger-sensing instincts as well as the warmth and affection of a typical pet.

The company website offers dogs for protection, family protection, and personal protection. Each animal is an undisclosed mix of Dutch shepherd, German shepherd, and Belgian Malinois.

Can anyone buy one?

Sure, but supply is scarce. Svalinn says it sells no more than 20 dogs a year, and only about 350 exist worldwide. The animals are trained to high intensity for three years and potential buyers must be vetted by the company.

What’s the vetting process look like?

According to their website, the four-step process involves meeting the breeders and getting to know the dogs, visiting the ranch, and selecting the perfect animal, before securing the animal with a non-refundable deposit.

Kim Greene, co-founder of Svalinn, says the company has a “no-a**holes policy.”

“We’ve done a lot of due diligence on the people who visit. We’re interviewing clients as much as they’re interviewing us,” she said speaking to the New York Magazine.

After new clients purchase and take home their dog, a Svalinn handler visits within 45 days to see if they have kept up with the dogs’ training or introduced bad habits.

Greene, says she wants to civilize dogs and “give them manners,” while at the same time hoping to not dull their animal instincts. Clients who spoke to the magazine shared similar sentiments.

Greene said that the purpose of the company was not to create a “luxury” item, though she often refers to the animals as “assets”. She and her former husband Jeff Greene bred Rhodesian Ridgebacks for the expat community in Nairobi and sold dogs to the US.

The couple noticed an increase in interest in K-9 security following the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, which included canine operatives.

They returned to the US with the intent of providing animals that could function both as pets, and high-functioning bodyguards.

The whopping price tag on Svalinn dogs comes mostly from the intensity of their training – which takes two or three years – rather than their breeding. It is a tough training process that not all survive.

Dog weddings? the next big thing?

You may kiss the bride!

It was a dream wedding, complete with picturesque outdoor setting, white lace gown and a delectable cake. The perfect day for golden retrievers - Bree and Bond - to tie the knot in front of their closest human and canine friends.

Pet weddings are on the rise in China, where government policies have had little success in encouraging more humans to wed in this fast-ageing society where the population is declining and marriage and birth rates remain low.

The popularity of pets and an increasing willingness to splurge on them are driving the trend.

Spending on furry companions in 2023 rose 3.2% to 279.3 billion yuan ($38.41 billion) from a year earlier, industry figures show.

"People have weddings. Why can't dogs have weddings?" Bree's owner Rye Ling said after escorting his female pet down the aisle, where she exchanged vows promising to always share treats and play with her husband Bond.

As of 2023, there were more than 116 million cats and dogs in urban China, according to figures by research firm Acuity Knowledge Partners. If distributed evenly across China's urban population, roughly one in eight Chinese people own a cat or a dog, with a majority of owners under 40, according to the research firm.

Ling and his girlfriend Gigi Chen, who said they're in no rush to get married themselves, meticulously planned the canine ceremony for months, arranging professional photographers, designing wedding booklets and ordering a custom-made, 800-yuan cake complete with toppers that resemble Bree and Bond.

Yang Tao, whose Shanghai-based pet bakery prepared the cake, said she was initially surprised that customers wanted wedding cakes for their dogs.

"I think there will be more and more dog weddings," Yang said, adding that she has already catered several similar ceremonies since her bakery was launched in 2022.

"We have already received several orders over the next few months from now ... and that's for a dog wedding."

Ling said he hoped the ceremony would give Bree and Bond a "sense of ritual". Ling, who said he wanted only one child, also hopes to welcome puppies soon.

Would you throw a wedding for your dog?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

“The Squeeze”: Dog News In 60 Seconds

Today’s Last Laugh:

ZzZzzZzzZzzz….

@thegoodhype

Come cuddle with us?💤🤗🐾 #dogsoftiktok #rescuedogs #fosterdogs