People are showing that they are one of the top dogs in Hong Kong by lugging big dogs around, a CNN report showed.

Instead of expensive jewellery and cars, Hong Kong residents are using large dogs as status symbols. Having one is meant to signal that the owner can afford equally spacious homes in a city where luxury apartments cost twice as much as in New York.

Like Us on Facebook

"People who have say, a St. Bernard -- you can see these people strutting around, so proud they have this dog," Sally Andersen, founder of Hong Kong Dog Rescue, was quoted in the report .

"It's like buying a designer label; it's a status thing," she said. "It makes them feel good in the same way that men like to drive Ferraris and Maseratis."

The dogs do fetch quite a price. CNN reported that Huskies go for more than $1,000, while an exotic Tibetan Mastiff costs a whopping $1 million or more.

Animal rights activist, however, are not woofing in approval. These groups expressed their concern over the fact that such animals are ill-fit for Hong Kong's hot weather and density. They are also worried that unscrupulous breeders are only chasing profits and do not care about the welfare of the animals.

The report  noted that not every big dog owner has the large living spaces necessary to house their pets. Some give up their dogs after these are fully grown, and much larger than the cute puppies they signed up for.

While there as growing pet pampering industry, a lot of canines are still suffering from big dog boom.

The report said breeders looking to cash in produce the animals rapidly in poor conditions. The Lifelong Animal Protection Charity said it has been frequently rescuing large dog breeds, while the Hong Kong Dog Rescue estimated that 10,000 dogs are destroyed in the territory annually.

Lifelong Animal Protection Charity founder Sheila McClelland hopes that more people in Hong Kong will look at the dogs, whose meat were previously considered as a delicacy, more as companions.

"There are many people who regard dogs as commodities, but I think it's becoming less acceptable," McClelland said. "Having them must be for life, and not just for status," she said in the report.

TagsHong Kong, Dogs