Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Shar Pei ~ Wrinkles Galore!

The Shar Pei, or Chinese Shar-Pei, is a breed of dog known for its distinctive features of deep wrinkles and a blue-black tongue. The breed comes from China. The name (沙皮, pinyin: shā pí; English name probably derived from British spelling of the Cantonese equivalent, sā pèih) translates to "sand skin" and refers to the texture of its short, rough coat.  The plural for Shar Pei is Shar Pei which was really interesting to me.
As puppies, Shar Pei have numerous wrinkles, but as they mature, these wrinkles loosen and spread out as they "grow into their skin". Shar Pei were named in 1978 as one of the world's rarest dog breeds by Time magazine and the Guinness Book of World Records, and the American Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1991.

Western Shar Pei come in many different colors, such as fawn, red (rose), sand, cream, black, lilac and blue. They resemble the Chow Chow due to having the same blue-black tongue.
There are over sixteen recognized colors in AKC. The coat must be solid in color, and any Shar-Pei with a "flowered coat" (spotted) or black and tan in coloration (i.e. German Shepherd) is a disqualification. Colors include black, cream, fawn, red-fawn, lilac, (The lilac is the hardest color to describe - it is like a purple mocha), red, sable, apricot, chocolate, isabella, (The isabella color is a light color - kind of a very, very light Khaki color. It is hard to see it in the pictures as the lighting often casts a yellow tint to the photo. It is like a platinum with a hint of taupe. It is related to the blue line), and blue. The nose may be black or brick (pink with black), with or without a black mask.

A Shar-Pei can also have what is called a "dilute" coloration. Meaning the nose and nails of the dog are the same color as the coat (i.e. chocolate coat with chocolate nose and nails). All of these color variations are acceptable and beautiful, but the coat color must be solid and well blended throughout the whole body of the dog.
Shar Pei usually come in two varieties. One is covered in large folds of wrinkles, even into adulthood (the Western type and mainly brush coat). The other variation has skin that appears tighter on its body, with wrinkles just on the face and at the withers (the original type and horse coat).

The Shar Pei is often suspicious of strangers, which pertains to their origin as a guard dog. In general, the breed has proved itself to be a loving, devoted family dog. They are also a very independent and reserved breed.

Nevertheless, the Shar Pei is extremely devoted, loyal and affectionate to its family and is amenable to accepting strangers given time and proper introduction at a young age.

If poorly socialized or trained, it can become especially territorial and aggressive. Even friendly and well-socialized individuals will retain the breed's watch dog proclivities (such as barking at strangers). It is a largely silent breed, barking only when playing or when worried. The Shar Pei were originally bred as palace guards in China. This breed is also very protective of its home and family, a powerful dog that is willing to guard its family members. The breed is amenable to training but can get bored from repetition.

Overall, the Shar Pei is a dog that is loyal and loving to its family while being very protective and independent.
It was believed in ancient times that the dark mouth, exposed when barking, helped to ward off evil spirits.

At one point, the Chinese Shar Pei served as a guardian to the Royal Chinese Family before becoming virtually extinct under the rule of Communist leader Mao Tse Tung. Under the rule of the Communist leader, the Shar Pei was considered a burden because of the "wasted" food used to feed the dog. In addition, prior to the Communist takeover, Shar Peis were considered pets of the wealthy, a theory that is no longer valid or true under the new Communist regime.

The Shar Pei had become so rare at one point that it was named the "rarest dog in the world". But by the late 1960s, its popularity began to pick up, and currently, the Chinese Shar Pei is the thirty-fourth most popular breed of the 134 listed by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Here are some famous Shar Pei ~
  • Lao-Tzu, Martin Prince's dog in The Simpsons, appeared in two episodes: "Bart's Dog Gets an F" and "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds".
  • Fu Dog from the Disney cartoon American Dragon: Jake Long is a Shar Pei.
  • Kimmy Gibbler from "Full House" had a Shar Pei named Sinbad and a litter of Shar Pei puppies in one episode.
  • Satchel, from the syndicated comic strip Get Fuzzy, is half yellow lab and half Shar Pei.
  • In a British television advert for a Garnier anti-wrinkle cream, a Shar Pei puppy is featured.
  • In Australia and New Zealand, a Shar Pei puppy named Roly has been used for many years in television commercials for Purex toilet paper.
  • Zac Lichman from Big Brother had a Shar Pei named Molly, who undertook a task on Day 55 and was also reunited.
  • G-Dragon from the popular Korean hip-hop group Big Bang has a Shar Pei puppy named Gaho. Gaho is featured several times in a documentary, GDTV, from Mnet as well as more recently in the lyrics and video of the song KNOCK OUT[9] on the GD & TOP album by G-Dragon and T.O.P (entertainer).

24 comments:

  1. They are so cute! I really enjoyed reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Claire!
    I love the Shar Pei! They are SO cute!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I all the time used to read article in news papers but now as I am a
    user of net therefore from now I am using net for articles, thanks to web.
    Also visit my blog ; related web-site

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi there, after reading this amazing post i am also cheerful
    to share my knowledge here with friends.
    my web site :: decire.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .
    net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
    But he's tryiong none the less. I've been using Movable-type on
    several websites for about a year and am worried about
    switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things
    about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my
    wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
    Here is my web page :: mysticvistas - Search

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think the admin of this site is in fact working hard in support of his
    website, as here every material is quality based stuff.
    Take a look at my website : Gymnast Tube

    ReplyDelete
  7. You should take part in a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the
    web. I most certainly will highly recommend this blog!
    my page: African Mango Diets

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello there! I could have sworn I've visited this website before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized it's new to me.
    Anyways, I'm definitely delighted I stumbled upon it and I'll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!
    My page: Testoril Male Supplement

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello there! I could have sworn I've visited this website before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized it's new to me.
    Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy I came across it and I'll be
    bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
    My webpage :: Read �

    ReplyDelete
  10. This article is actually a pleasant one it helps new internet users, who are wishing in favor of blogging.


    Visit my weblog Forex signal service

    ReplyDelete
  11. What's Happening i'm new to this, I stumbled upon this
    I have found It positively helpful and it has helped me out
    loads. I hope to contribute & assist other customers like its helped me.
    Great job.

    my blog ... Raspberry Ketone Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  12. I couldn't refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!

    Also visit my web site - homepage
    Also see my site - Forever Flawless

    ReplyDelete
  13. With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright violation?
    My website has a lot of completely unique content I've either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any solutions to help prevent content from being stolen? I'd genuinely appreciate it.



    Feel free to visit my blog ... Buy Mizulean

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello there, You have done an excellent job.
    I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends.

    I'm sure they'll be benefited from this web site.


    Feel free to visit my weblog - Website

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
    Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! However,
    how can we communicate?

    my web blog; magnets 4 energy review

    ReplyDelete
  16. First of all I would like to say awesome blog! I had a
    quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your mind prior to writing. I have had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out there. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Cheers!

    Also visit my web page :: Renee Latia

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, this article is fastidious, my sister is analyzing these kinds of things, thus I am going
    to tell her.

    http://www.scooopy.com/index.php?do=/blog/55220/buy-dermallo/

    My web-site ... buy Dermallo

    ReplyDelete
  18. A motivating discussion is worth comment. I do believe
    that you ought to publish more about this issue, it may not be
    a taboo subject but typically people do not speak
    about such issues. To the next! Kind regards!!

    Feel free to surf to my blog :: web hosting reviews 2013 cnet

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification appeared
    to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you,
    I certainly get irked while people consider worries that they just do
    not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as
    defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take
    a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

    My site; hack perfect kick

    ReplyDelete
  20. Spot on with this write-up, I really believe that this web
    site needs a great deal more attention. I'll probably be back
    again to read through more, thanks for the advice!

    Here is my web-site - Spotify Premium Code Generator Online (spotifypremiumcodegenerator.com)

    ReplyDelete
  21. We absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post's to be just what I'm looking for.

    Do you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn't mind writing a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write
    concerning here. Again, awesome web site!


    Feel free to visit my blog: chicken coop plans free

    ReplyDelete
  22. Howdy! I could hve sworn I've been to this website before but after reading thrdough some of the post
    I realized it's new to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely delighte I found it and I'll be book-marking and
    checkiing back frequently!

    my web-site - top rated long beach search engine optimization service,
    ,

    ReplyDelete
  23. Appreciation to my father who told me about this webpage,
    this website is in fact awesome.

    My blog post: financial advisor rochester ny

    ReplyDelete