Dateline 15 May 1998

 Two Chinese Shar-pei arrive in Britain from Lamma Island, Hong Kong for Kavishi Shar-pei, Edinburgh. Wusad Loi and Tin Tin are the first Hong Kong Kennel Club registered bitches to come to the UK and are the first HKKC Shar-pei bitches to be Kennel Club registered in London.

Dateline 2 June 1998

The first 100% Chinese litter to be born in the UK from a mating in China by Kavishi. One Male and four bitches are born in Ingliston quarantine kennels, Edinburgh.

All Puppies being exceptionally healthy were soon looking at their strange new world through beautiful almond shaped eyes. All with very short harsh horsecoats, superb conformation and wonderful temperaments......

This is what you call Breed History
(See bottom of page for more information)

 
From the arrival of our Hong Kong Imports in 1998 we have had the pleasure of welcoming some of their offspring into the world.

Right: Lamma Wusad Loi (Lambo) and Her Full Chinese Pups Sired by Chadad Al Halab (HKKC) playing in front of our house. (2001) (Second Right,Bottom to Top)...Lamma Wusad Loi...Kavishi Chocolate Drop...Kavishi Imperial Princess

Pure Chinese Girls Pictured Playing in our field at
 'Richmond House', Edinburgh, Scotland UK.....

Wusad Loi and Tin Tin in addition to being the first Hong Kong Kennel Club registered bitches in the UK are also the First Shar-pei in the UK to be DNA tested and have DNA Profiling certificates. DNA Profiling certificates guarantee the parentage authenticity of their progeny.
 
 

The Shar-Pei…. is it an endangered species?

The answer is that the American Shar-Pei is not, an endangered species.....

But the Chinese Shar-Pei is!  

      The Original Chinese Shar Pei.... Believed by many to be the The Genuine Shar-Pei!  Is more endangered now than ever.

 "For years some aspects of breeding the Shar- Pei have been a mystery to most Shar - Pei breeders, because of lack of uniformity in the litters from the American lines, no matter how hard they try or what combination they use" ....although we have found uniformity in litters from our Pure Chinese line when mated to a modern American style Shar- Pei, this has also produced Shar- Pei which although slightly lighter in bone have Good Confirmation, Superb Horsecoats, Beautiful High Tailsets and are substantially more Agile than the American type....   

 

This Article was written by Mr Joseph Chan.

Printed in Dogworld Jan 1988

Some experienced breeders in the US suspect that the Shar-Pei is a "modified" or "mixed" breed, consisting of the Chinese Shar-Pei bred to Bullmastiff, Chow Chow, Bulldog, Boxer, Bull Terrier and who knows what else.
Before you raise your eyebrows, let me present some evidence, anyone with an observant eye, experience and an open mind can easily point out some resemblance to these breeds in the American Shar-Pei. As the old saying goes "the blood never lies…" This is particularly noticeable in the eye (entropion) and lower jaw (tight lip) and hip dysplasia which are inherited from these breeds. I am not implying that the Shar-Pei never had HD, but the percentage should be considerably less than what the breed is currently experiencing.
 In China, if the breed had the same incidence of all the problems now being experienced, it would have been extinct a long time ago. For those who have an inquiring mind and wonder what a true Shar-Pei should look like, here is the description or standard for the ideal Chinese Shar-Pei. The Chinese always refer to the shape and/or form of the most common thing or object to describe.
For example, Shar-Pei means " sand skin" in Chinese - describing the texture of the coat, short and harsh to the touch.
Another example is the feet, the standard calls for them to compact, well knuckled-up and firm, in this case the Chinese term is garlic feet - meaning the feet must look like garlic cloves.
 
 

Chinese Standard
This is the Chinese Standard, Not the Hong Kong Standard

The first eight parts are given in sequence, which when recited in Cantonese, are a poem

Wu-Lo Head.... The head is shaped like a Wu-Lo melon, which is heavy and round at the bottom (skull)
and tapered at the top (muzzle). It's similar to the pear.

 

Clam Shell Ear............The ear is like a small clam shell, thick and small.

 
Butterfly Nose.....In Guangzhou, China. There is a cookie called Butterfly, which looks like the front view of the dog's nose with a very wide, side nostril, and the nose should be big and blunt.

 
Pae Pah Leg.Pae Pah is a musical instrument shaped like a ham. The hind leg should be thick, well muscled and straight without angulation.

 
Shrimp Back....The back is strong and flexible, no dip behind the withers. The croup is flat - not steep or round. In normal posture, the back is slightly arched - almost straight. When the dog is pulled on a leash or is exerting energy, the back forms a bridge shape like a shrimp in water. The difference between a Roach Back and a shrimp back is a Roach Back is fixed and permanent and a shrimp back is flexible .

 
Iron Wire Tail......The tail should be stiff and thin at the base like a piece of cable, set high on the back, and preferably has a tight round curl - so tight that it forms a hole in the centre, like an Ancient Chinese coin. (In Chinese, this is known as the "coin tail".
 
Grandma Face......This refers to the wrinkles on the face, just a little bit like "Granny's face". It should not be overly wrinkled. If the dog has a "Wu-Lo" head and "Clam Shell" ears, the front view of the face should look like a monkey's.
 
Iron Pellet Tongue....This refers to the colour of the tongue - bluish black like an iron pellet. This feature apparently was not easy to obtain, but it is easier now, because of the Chow blood.
 
Water Buffalo Neck.....The neck is strong and of medium length with a small amount of dewlap under it like a water buffalo
 
Wun Fish Body....A very common fish in the Kwongtung Province, the shape is neither too round nor too flat in the rib cage area. The skin should be tight and without any wrinkles except in the withers area. When you grab the dog by the skin however, and pull it should be loose fitting.
 
Facing Sky Anus...The tail is set so high on the back that it causes the anus to protrude slightly and face upward. It should have a noticeable rim around it
 
Horse's Rear End....The rear end should be well muscled and broad like a horses rear end
 
Dragon Leg...The front legs are spaced wide to the side of the body to form a very wide chest like a bow legged dog
 
Garlic Feet...The feet are thick, well knuckled and firm like a garlic bulb, with the toes forming the cloves
 
Frog Mouth....The muzzle is strong, round in shape, blunt and longer than the frog mouth. When opened, the corners of the mouth should be well behind the level of the eyes.
 
Roof Tile Mouth...The muzzle is strong, round in shape, blunt and longer than the "Frog Mouth" The Chinese use this term, as clay roof tiles are convex in shape. The muzzle shape we refer to is bone mouth
 
Iron Toenail............This speaks for itself the colour of the nails like iron
 
Rusty Black Coat....The black dog should not be shiny, it should be dull. The tips of the hair should be reddish brown like rust
 
Five Point Red.........Five points on the body should be red or pink, this has not changed, the body parts are Nose, eye rims, tongue toenails and anus. Five point reds are usually found on dilute colours such as reds, light fawns, creams
 

Now you know why the Pure Chinese Shar Pei in China Look different to their more Modern American Cousins......

There are many claims to making 'Breed History'.... some claims go from the ridiculous to the sublime, In the UK, if someone walks round the show ring differently, they are likely to make fatuous claims of making 'Breed History'.....Some also genuinely confuse 'Breed History' with 'Breed Record' ....
'Breed History is only truly made when an event is so significant that it makes or is likely to make a significant impact on the development or improvement of the breed as a whole. The arrival of the First Shar-Pei was 'Breed History'

The arrival of the Full Chinese Shar-Pei Girls in the UK qualify under the banner of 'Breed History' because they are truly a completely new bloodline since the arrival of the first Shar-Pei  in to the USA in the 1960's and are unrelated to any other Shar-Pei in the UK, Europe/USA, They are UK.. KC registered and therefore their progeny are likely to have a significant effect in the breed which will hopefully show benefits in years to come.


"In the Kingdom of the blind
The one eyed man is King..."