Most Expensive Dog Ever Sold
Lancelot Encore

In early 2009, a Florida couple became the proud owners of Lancelot Encore, the world’s first commercially cloned puppy and one of the most expensive dogs in the world.

The Labrador retriever was cloned from samples thoughtfully taken by the couple five years ago from their beloved pet Lancelot. The cloned puppy looks just like his predecessor and the couple hopes that, being around the same people and many of the same dogs, Lancelot Encore will be every bit the alpha male that the original Lancelot was.

The couple won the chance to have their pet cloned in an auction held last July by BioArts, a California-based firm that employed Korea’s Sooam Biotech Research Foundation to recreate their darling dog. The hammer price of the pricey pooch was $155,000. That’s $100,000 more than was last paid for a commercially cloned animal, a bull named Second Chance.

Most Expensive Dogs Ever Sold - Black Tibetan Mastiff
A black Tibetan Mastiff

Later that year, however, Lancelot Encore’s price was dwarfed by the sale of a black Tibetan Mastiff named Yangtze River Number 2. Yangtze’s new owner, a Chinese millionaire identified only as Ms. Wang, met the pup while visiting Yushu in China’s Qinghai province with a Tibetan Mastiff she wished to breed with one of the region’s storied pureblood canines. As soon as she met the dog, then known as White Root, she knew she had to have him. Ultimately, she ended up paying $582,000 for the most expensive dog in the world.

Upon his arrival at an airport in Xi’an, Yangtze was greeted by a motorcade of thirty luxury cars and a crowd of spectators.

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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

Mary February 4, 2009 at 6:12 pm

I think that cloneing is rediculous and should be illegal only God can create

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missy February 12, 2009 at 6:29 pm

I think that you waste your money on the dog. millions of people went to sleep hungry. why don’t you help those peoples beside wasting your money on the dog.

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blih February 16, 2009 at 5:00 pm

ya, well think of all the needy DOGS out there who have no homes, i think that this was a horrible thing, but i would most certainly do it if my little bandit ever died, it wouldnt be the same, but atleast we can have something to remember her by

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rere February 21, 2009 at 11:01 am

thats just not right,i agree only our father in heaven creates,wow!

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bah May 2, 2009 at 5:35 pm

god doesnt create life, sperm entering an egg creates life. or asexual budding. there is nothing unnatural about this dog, he was created according to the laws of the universe that god created.
also some sharks can actually clone themselves. it happens. is that against god’s will?

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Rawr May 3, 2009 at 2:20 am

Its also moronic considering the dog just has some of the same genetics or whatever — it doesn’t retain its memory or personality. Plus, depending on how old the dog was when they got the sample to clone it, this puppy could have a much shorter lifespan due to being genetically older. :(

They could’ve saved a ton of money just going to a shelter or something. Then again, there are a lot of dumb people out there.

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Katy May 21, 2009 at 2:13 am

I think this couple is OK… but labs are generally ‘the same’ in the sense they are either yellow, brown or black. Unless a cross, they won’t have any patterns on it. And so the couple, who although I appreciate must miss their dog dearly, could have looked at breeders and tried to ask the breeder if they sold any of the pups to /another/ breeder. That dog may carry the same temprement, and so the pups might, too. Problem solved.

But why not go to a shelter or donate that money to charity? u.u

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#1animal lover July 7, 2009 at 10:45 pm

This is natrual some animals in the wild clone them selfs Like the whiptail lizard there just born pregnant so they are copying there own DNA and so todays scientist have caught up with this thing in nature

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EricksonprinceJ July 28, 2009 at 2:01 am

That was too expensive!!! $155,000 is so big in here in the Philippines and it’s like 8 million in here in the Philippines!!! BTW I also have a dog but it;s not that expensive, I just loved him as my most expensive dog and he’s breed is Lhasa Apso!!!

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MizzTeen August 4, 2009 at 4:46 pm

i m sorry but this do isnot expensive. i live in america and Tibetan Mastiff is no where in reach my dad had to get it all the way from asia. my Tibetan Mastiff cost about $500,000 + more with travel. It was bought from the place called Nepal. Expensive but worth it dog. I got it on my Sweet 16 instead of a car. =] well worth it
its called diana n i love my dog!!

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Crezeh August 21, 2009 at 12:03 am

Anyways, you can easily get a pet retiever anywhere in the world. Why waste your life’s money just separating a zygote?? Cloning is illegal in most countries in the world, but if you have a fortune and want this scientist to clone this pet for you, they’ll agree right away and live their life filthy rich.

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Crezeh August 21, 2009 at 12:05 am

A question for bah:
Who created the first atom, or the first thing in the world? only God did. we don’t know who created god or watever, so it remains an absolute mystery to the world.

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Jason September 9, 2009 at 11:18 pm

I don’t think so. An ordinary Tibetan Mastiff will be more than $300k, one good friend from China bought a Tibetan Mastiff at $600,ooo 2 days ago. That’s why I come to search any dog is more expensive than his. Not yet.

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kassandra September 27, 2009 at 9:40 pm

this is some stupid crap its no reason to clone a dog if there are millions of dogs out there that need homes

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Ben October 21, 2009 at 12:40 pm

Religion is detrimental to scientific progress and the advancement of society…

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Marc December 7, 2009 at 9:57 am

I think that all of the people that say that this should be illegal because of god *cough-the person below my comment-cough* should really reconsider saying that because government isn’t based on religion…most of the time.

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Allissa December 14, 2009 at 12:49 pm

I think it should only be God who creates life, but don’t slam religion just because you don’t believe. It’s funny how people get so offended by something they say doesn’t exist.

For all of you haters who say “why waste the money to clone your dog when there are starving people??” I say, leave them alone. They won it, it’s not like they just had an extra $100,000 lying around.

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mary's_an_idiot December 27, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Mary, you should learn to spell before posting “rediculous” religious posts.

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John January 27, 2010 at 11:52 pm

Wow. People. Get a grip. Some can believe in religion or that God can create life or whatever, the fact is these people are jealous that they dont have 100,000 dollars to spend on a new dog. Well guess what, me too! And the fact that the dog is cloned is just so cool. Does anyone who is ragging on science even begin to understand the enormous implications of being able to clone and re-create life?

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rachel February 24, 2010 at 4:46 am

i think it so sad becuse it just no far. they should not do it

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shanelle March 28, 2010 at 2:17 am

thier so cute. like my eyes are gonna burst because thier cuteness…………………………………………………..

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shoil sheik April 27, 2010 at 1:30 pm

what so special about this doggy

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person June 3, 2010 at 7:19 pm

its just a dog leave it alone lo0l?!

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Mary July 14, 2010 at 1:43 pm

Thats just dumb, I'd hate to have a cloned dog because its not actualy real

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