|
The official rescue
site of the Shar Pei Club of Great Britain
| |
Statuettes from the Han Dynasty
date the breed back to 206BC-220AD when they are believed to have
originated in Dah Let near the South China Sea. The Shar-Pei, unlike
the Pug & Pekinese, was a working dog and visitors to Southern China
may still see them fulfilling their ancient tasks of hunting and
herding. In addition to their normal work some of the breed were
also raised and trained for fighting. It was the latter function
that seems to have given rise to the breed’s main characteristics.
The short coat and loose skin made it difficult for an opponent to
get a grip and enabled the dog to twist, turn and fight back. It's
hooked canine teeth gave it a firm grip and the small tight set ears
gave an adversary little to get hold of.
The opening of borders in the last century saw the introduction of
larger and fiercer breeds, such as the Mastiff and the Bulldog,
which were interbred with local dogs. The Shar-Pei was no match for
these crossbreeds and as a result returned to its favoured position,
in front of its owner’s fire.
No longer in demand, the breed went into a rapid decline and was
nearly lost forever following the introduction of extortionate taxes
on all dogs in Mainland China. In 1947 the tax was further increased
and all breeding was banned. By 1950 few specimens remained and
these were only to be found on offshore Islands such as Macao and
Hong Kong. In 1973 Matgo Law, a Hong Kong breeder, appealed through
American magazines for help in avoiding the breed’s extinction. From
this small start came a great revival in this unique breed. In 1978
the Shar-Pei appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s
rarest dog breed, but following successful breeding in the USA the
first dog arrived in the UK in 1981. It was another year before the
first bitches arrived, one of which came direct from Matgo Law in
Hong Kong.
Within four years some 350 animals were registered with The Kennel
Club and the figure has increased steadily each year since. From the
UK Shar-Pei have been exported to Countries such as Australia, South
Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Cyprus and Russia. Many of the animals
imported into this country in recant years are USA Show Champions
and have been very influential in the development of the breed here.
As a result The Kennel Club granted the Shar-Pei Challenge
Certificate status in 1999 and we have subsequently seen a number of
UK champions made up.
[home]
[up}
|
