A woman in Miyun county here, who had gone to her neighbour's house to ask for help to turn off a leaking water pipe was bitten multiple times by the Tibetan Mastiff which was not tied by her neighbour.
She suffered a brain haemorrhage and was awarded 14,000 yuan (USD 2300) by a Beijing court this week for her injuries.
The Tibetan Mastiff, originally bred to protect sheep from wolves in Tibet, is banned in many Chinese cities along with several big breeds.
Perhaps the greatest example of the animal's perceived ferocity is that a Henan zoo reportedly attempted to pass one off as an African lion.
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Tibetan Mastiffs are also considered to be the world's most expensive breed of dogs and in the past one dog was sold for 12 million Yuan (USD two million).
After studying a number of cases, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said, "Given the powerful impact of socialisation, it's no surprise that dogs that are chained outside and isolated from positive human interaction are more likely to bite people than dogs which are integrated into our homes."
Guo Feng, vice chairman of the China Purebred Tibetan Mastiff Association defended the Tibetan Mastiff saying that biting or mauling their owners "goes against the nature of purebred mastiffs, which are well known for their loyalty".