THE MAJESTIC SHAR PEI

Chapter 1

Before We Begin

As I write this, my girl is asleep on the bed beside me, snoring like an old tractor and taking up far more than her fair share. She has just turned eight. She's the latest in a long line of Shar Pei, and like every one before her, she has me wrapped around her wrinkly paw.

I've had dogs all my life. Rottweilers, Dobermans, Shepherds and a fair few mixed breeds came first, around twenty years of them. Then along came my first Shar Pei, and that was the end of me. More than 25 years later, I've never looked back.

This isn't a textbook, and I'm not a vet. Everything in these pages comes from living with Shar Pei day in, day out: the snoring, the stubbornness, the wrinkles that need grooming, the ears that need checking, the vet bills that make your eyes water, and the love that makes every bit of it worth it.

I've written this for anyone who owns a Shar Pei, anyone thinking about getting one, and anyone who simply can't walk past that wrinkly face without smiling. I'll tell you what I've learned the hard way, so hopefully you don't have to. Some of it will make you laugh. Some of it might make you think twice. All of it is true.

You'll notice a few of my dogs dressed for the occasion in crowns and velvet. Don't let that fool you. A Shar Pei doesn't need a crown to know it's royalty. They've known that all along, and they'll make sure you know it too.