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Posted by yeyito on February 28, 2003 at 12:17:12:

For the first time I saw some historical picures of Shar Pei's of the old fashioned variety and it left me wondering why in God's name show breeders have seen fit to turn the breed into what it is today.

The pictures in the link provided show Sharpei's the way they are supposed to look. That the Sharpei was originally a working breed can be seen in the dogs in these pictures which have been untouched by western show standards. They show lean and athletic dogs with no excessive wrinkling, basically, dogs that look like they could do the jobs they were created for.

I used to look at modern sharpeis in the west and think that what I saw was the way that Sharpeis are supposed to look, but not anymore. Now I know what the historical Sharpei looked like and now I can see why they were famed working dogs. It pains me that this is no longer the case.

Why don't show breeders build a standard around the original appearance of the breed. This would maintain the supreme athleticism that the dogs in these pictures have and prevent the Sharpei going the way of the English Bulldog, now a shadow of its former self due to the actions of show breeders.

I am sorry for this rant but it annoys me greatly when I see a breed losing its functional ability due to show breeders breeding primarily for form and not function. It has happened with the English Bulldog, the Bullmastiff, the English Mastiff, and apparently the Sharpei can be added to that list.

• Old Fashioned Shar Pei's

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