It all began in 1991. Twenty-nine pei later and a lot of learning has happened. Put your feet up and read on and I will tell you the story of how it all began.
It all started in September of 1991. My daughter and I had the sad task of putting down our dear sweet Sheltie, Missy. She had cancer and needed to go to Rainbow Bridge. We were feeling rather sad and a long way from home. Later that night we were visiting some friends that raised Chinese Shar Pei. I never in a million years even gave pei a thought as a breed of choice. Especially considering I had a Sheltie (the two breeds are like night and day).
Well, these dear friends of mine had a pei puppy that the wife wanted to keep. But her husband was wanting to sell her. They had 2 females and one male adult at the time and had had a couple of litters. So that was my first co-ownership. Of course, my husband was saying on the phone NO PUPPIES. That puppy (Boguays' Carmella) was a sweetheart.  Well, that night, (she was known to want to play all night) we brought to my other friends house, and went to bed with her on the couch beside us, and she snored all night and we giggled all night, no sleep for us. The next day we had a 2 hour ferry ride and and five hour drive ahead of us. That little puppy just sat on my daughters lap and snuggled all day. She was born on July 2, 1991. At that time her registration was under CSPCA. So the learning began. Wow, I had no idea there was so much to learn and learn I did.
Shortly after getting this bundle of joy and wrinkles. My sons would take her for walks, they said that she was their ticket to chicks (girls). hahaha.
We knew we had a good pei (or so we thought, she had a great pedigree, we just didn't know about health problems, yet.) So we started on a long adventure trying to find a suitable sire for her. Well, that was easier said than done. I lived in a remote area of Vancouver Island at the time. So anytime we found a sire that might be suitable for her meant a lot of traveling.
Then in 1992, I received a message from a friend of mine that did obedience and she told me that Chinese Shar Pei were being accepted into the Canadian Kennel Club. So of course, I wanted to register her, so I sent away for the information. Well, that sounds simple doesn't it. Not so, they needed to know about her lineage. Her mom had died of mastitis and her father we thought at the time had died of anti-freeze poisoning. It is believed now to have been amyloid, although we have no proof. So that meant that I would have to write a letter to the board for permission to register this girl.
To make a long story short it all worked out. So here we are today. Working on obedience and working towards the perfect bundle of wrinkles with the greatest temperaments and health.
 

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at sherry.walker@telus.net