Following pages belong to Sharon Holland, owner to Phoebes Bearcoat.
To take a look at her site, go to
http://bearcoatsharpei.co.uk



HISTORY OF THE SHAR-PEI

THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE SHAR-PEI IS SHROUDED IN MYSTIQUE AND LEGEND.
NOBODY CAN SAY FOR SURE HOW ANCIENT THE BREED IS,
THOUGH SOME PEOPLE WILL GO AS FAR AS SAYING THEY DATE BACK 2000 YEARS OR SO.
WHAT CAN BE SAID FOR CERTAIN IS THAT THE CHINESE, IN THEIR PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS TIMES,
WERE MASTERS OF GENETIC MANIPULATION - FOR EXAMPLE, THE FANCY GOLDFISH AND PEKINGESE.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE EASY FOR SELECTIVE BREEDING TO FIX THE UNIQUE TRAITS WE SEE IN THE BREED.
MAYBE, ALONG WITH THE CHOW, THE SHAR-PEI BEGAN LIFE IN CHINA AS A DOG OF ROYALTY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, MAYBE HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DOG SHAPED MORE BY SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, AS A HUMBLE YET VERSATILE PEASANT'S DOG.

ESSENTIALLY, THE WESTERN SHAR-PEI IS A RECONSTRUCTED BREED.
WITH A GENE POOL IN THE USA OF ONLY 126 INDIVIDUALS,
IT IS NO SURPRISE THE SHAR-PEI OF EAST AND WEST HAVE DIVERGED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS.
IT APPEARS THE SHAR-PEI DID MANAGE TO SURVIVE THE CHINESE EXTERMINATION AND DOG TAX, MAINLY ON THE OUTLYING COLONIES OF HONG KONG AND MACAU.
NOWADAYS, THEY APPEAR TO BE THRIVING ONCE AGAIN IN THEIR HOMELAND.

TO LEARN A LITTLE MORE ON SHAR-PEI HISTORY, FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW:

THE CSPCA HISTORY PAGE - THE POTTED HISTORY - SHORT AND TO THE POINT!
SHAR-PEI CLUB OF HONG KONG WEBSITE - A TRULY EXCELLENT WEBSITE - JUST DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK HERE WHEN YOU'VE EXPLORED IT!
HOWEVER, THE HAN DYNASTY STATUE DEPICTED ON THE FRONT PAGE... TO MY EYES, IT IS SO OBVIOUSLY A SMOOTH CHOW!

THE BEARCOAT IN CHINA

WE WILL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE IF SHAR-PEI HAVE ALWAYS THROWN THE OCCASIONAL LONG COATED PUPPY.
THAT INFORMATION IS LOST IN THE MISTS OF TIME.
BUT WITH SUCH RELATIVES AS THE CHOW CHOW AND TIBETAN MASTIFF, THIS WOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE.
MANY BEARCOATS HAVE A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO BOTH BREEDS AND EVEN THE MANY STATUES YOU SEE OF CHINESE TEMPLE LIONS.
THESE STATUES ARE ALSO KNOWN AS FOO DOGS.

THERE IS TALK OF A BREED CALLED THE 'SONG-YE' WHICH WAS DESCRIBED AS BEING SOMEWHAT LIKE A BEARCOAT AND BRED AS A FOOD SOURCE BY CHINESE PEASANTS.
HOWEVER, THE FIRST CONCRETE EVIDENCE OF A BEARCOAT IN CHINA COMES FROM MATGO LAW.
THIS IS THE MAN WHO INTRODUCED THE BREED TO THE WEST IN THE 1970'S, WITH HIS NOW FAMOUS PLEA FOR HELP TO SAVE THE SHAR-PEI.
THERE WERE SEVERAL SHAR-PEI IMPORTED TO THE USA IN THE 1960'S, REGISTERED AS CHINESE FIGHTING DOGS, BUT THEY DIDN'T CATCH ON.

ANNIE, 'DOWN HOME'S ANNE REVIVAL' WAS MATGO LAW'S FOUNDATION BITCH.
HE ACQUIRED HER FROM A MAN HE DESCRIBED AS AN OLD TIME BREEDER.
IN ANNIE'S LITTER WERE TWO MALES. ONE HAD A SHORT HARSH COAT LIKE HIS SISTER, BUT THE OTHER MALE WAS DIFFERENT.
MATGO LAW DESCRIBED THE PUP AS BEING "TOTALLY FOREIGN, WITH A COAT LIKE A CHOW CHOW.
IT IS PROBABLE THAT ANNIE WAS CARRYING THE LONG COAT GENE RECESSIVELY.
SEEING AS SHE IS BEHIND MANY MODERN DOGS - SOMETIMES MORE THAN ONCE - IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT THE BEARCOAT GENE IS SPRINKLED THROUGH MOST WESTERN SHAR-PEI LINES TO THIS DAY.

BEARCOAT HISTORY IN THE USA

MR AND MRS VICTOR SEAS, OF WALNUT LANE'S KENNELS, ARE REPUTED OT HAVE IMPORTED BOTH BRUSHCOAT AND BEARCOAT SHAR-PEI.
IN FACT, ONE OF THE EARLY BREED CLUBS, THE CHINESE SHAR-PEI CLUB OF AMERICA INC, RECOGNIZED THE BEARCOAT IN THE STANDARD AS ACCEPTABLE FOR A WHILE.
THIS APPEARS TO HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH THE INTERNAL POLITICS WITHIN THE BREED AT THE TIME!
ONE OF THE EARLIEST CSPCA CHAMPIONS WAS A BEARCOAT BY THE NAME OF 'WALNUT LANE'S RICK OF POO'.
HIS PEDIGREE IS EXTREMELY INTERESTING ON TWO COUNTS.
SEVEN OF HIS EIGHT GREAT GRANDPARENTS ARE DOWN HOME'S BRED DOGS, SEVERAL OF WHO GO BACK TO ANNE REVIVAL.
HE ALSO SHARES NO LESS THAN THREE GRANDPARENTS WITH THE LEGENDARY HORSECOAT, 'SHIR DU BANG'.
BANG IS OFTEN SAID TO BE THE PROGENITOR OF THE MODERN TYPE SHAR-PEI, WITH HIS HEAVIER BONE AND LARGER HEAD THAN THE CHINESE TYPE.

HISTORY IN ENGLAND

IN THE UK, THE FIRST BEARCOAT ON RECORD WAS 'BURGOYNES SUZY MAY WONG' OWNED BY MRS PAT PEARCE.
SUZY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FEMALES IMPORTED INTO THIS COUNTRY FROM THE USA IN THE EARLY 1980'S AND WAS BRED BY EVE OLSEN OF WILLOWLEDGE KENNELS.
SUZY ARRIVED IN THE UK ALONG WITH HER BRUSHCOAT, BUT PINK TONGUED SISTER 'BURGOYNES SNOW DRAGON'.
BOTH WERE SENT AND USED AS BREEDING STOCK - SUCH FAULTS WERE RELATIVELY MINOR WHEN THE BREED WAS STILL VERY SCARCE IN THE WEST.
ANOTHER EARLY BEARCOAT, BORN IN 1984, WAS HOLLY, OWNED BY MR TIM BALL.
HOLLY'S PARENTS WERE THE TWO IMPORTS, 'DOWN HOMES THE UNICORN' AND 'WILLOWLEDGE AH FUK OF HEATHSTYLE'.
I DON'T KNOW IF HOLLY WAS EVER BRED FROM.
OFF THE TOPIC OF BEARCOATS, BOTH MRS PEARCE (BURGOYNE) AND MR BALL (KAITAK) STILL OWN SHAR-PEI TO THIS DAY.
BOTH HAVE CONTINUED TO BREED, SHOW AND IMPORT SHAR-PEI.
MR BALL HAS SEVERAL AMERICAN IMPORTS AND MRS PEARCE IMPORTED A TRADITIONAL STYLE HORSECOAT MALE DIRECT FROM HONG KONG IN 1997.

THE FUTURE FOR THE BEARCOAT

THEY SAY YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD DOG DOWN!
UNLIKE TWO OTHER NON STANDARD QUALITIES - MINI SIZE AND FLOWERED COATS - BEARCOATS ARE NOT DELIBERATELY PROPAGATED.
EVEN IN RECENT TIMES, DESPITE THE BEARCOAT BEING EXCLUDED FROM THE GENE POOL, THEY STILL KEEP TURNING UP.
THIS IS BECAUSE THE LONGCOAT GENE IS RECESSIVE AND CAN BE CARRIED UNWITTINGLY FOR GENERATIONS BEFORE SURFACING AGAIN.
BEARCOATS ARE EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE DOGS WHO USUALLY HAVE THE MOST DELIGHTFUL OUTGOING PERSONALITIES.
FROM THE VIEW OF HAVING A COMPANION DOG, THEY ARE EVERY BIT AS CHARMING AS A MORE CONVENTIONAL SHAR-PEI AND SOME PEOPLE EVEN PREFER THEM!
DESPITE THEM QUITE OBVIOUSLY NOT BEING SHOW STANDARD, THEY STILL MAKE THE MOST WONDERFUL PETS AND AMBASSADORS FOR THE BREED - LONG MAY THEY BE WITH US!