Shar-Pei

The Shar-Pei is a dog of Chinese origin which is characterized by its ample skin which falls in folds.

The Chinese origins of the Shar-Pei are certain. The breed would be more than 2000 years old, indeed ancient statuettes from the Han period (about 200 BC to 200 AD), which have been found in excavations represent the Shar-Pei . The Shar-Pei has existed for several hundred years in the coastal regions of southern China; it is said to have originated from Guangdong province - a province close to Guangzhou canton - and was also widespread in the city of Dah Let (Kwungtun canton). "Shar-Pei" in Chinese means "sand skin", which seems to correspond well to the definition of the texture of the coat: dry and hard, almost stinging. The Shar-Pei has never been a luxury dog ​​but on the contrary a rustic dog, used by the peasant class for guarding and hunting. Its physical aptitude for fighting made it use for this purpose, which earned it its previous name of "Chinese Fighting Dog". Indeed, dog fighting was a very popular pastime in ancient China, both in the countryside and in the working-class neighborhoods of provincial towns. It was at this time that certain peculiarities of the breed (loose skin, eyes sunken in the folds of the face, curved fangs) were selected to give these dogs more defenses during fights. It is also reported that they were drugged and drenched in wine to give them the aggressiveness that they naturally lack! In the 19th century, with the arrival of Westerners in China, new, much more powerful and combative breeds appeared, including bulldogs and mastiffs. Crossed with local breeds, these dogs were far too powerful "war machines" for the Shar-Pei. The latter being no longer in demand, the breed began to die out, a disappearance accelerated by the heavy taxes on all dogs introduced by the communist regime around 1950. At the end of the 1960s, very few specimens still survived in Hong Kong. , Macau or Taiwan, or in some remote provinces. It was then that local breeders passionate about the Shar-Pei, such as Mr. Law (affix "Down Homes") and Mr. Chung (affix "Jones"), alerted the Americans, so that they could collect the dozen remaining Shar-Pei to save the breed from extinction. After a press campaign, more than two hundred applications for adoption arrived. The first births of Shar-Pei took place in the United States, and caused a certain enthusiasm. In 1979, the first Shar-Pei arrived in Germany, then in 1981 in France.