Chinese Shar-Pei

The origin of the Shar Pei is a mystery. They're an extremely old Chinese breed descended from the basal breed used as a guard dog as early as the Han Dynesty. They nearly died out in the 20th century during difficult political times in China, but a man named Matgo Law appealed to different Kennel Clubs (specifically the American Kennel Club) to save the breed. The dog became popular, but in the rush to breed for export, became much more wrinkly! As a result, this "meat mouth" style of Shar Pei became the western breed standard while the truer, smoother bodied "bone jaw" version is still bred in Hong Kong. The Shar Pei is still considered a very rare breed.

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