The Bull-Pei is a hybrid dog, a crossbreed between the English Bulldog and the Chinese Shar-Pei, two breeds that were developed first as farm dogs, but later used in dog fighting and other blood sports. The English Bulldog is a very old breed and a great deal of its origin story is lost to history. Some experts believe that the Mastiff was descended from the English Bulldog, while others believe that the English Bulldog was itself a cross between a Mastiff breed dog and a Pug. Either way, it is very clear that these dogs were utilized by farmers to control, guard, and bait bulls in the nineteenth century. To that end, Bulldogs of the 1800’s were bred to be much more aggressive and tenacious than they are today, with an extremely high pain tolerance. This made them not only excellent at controlling and baiting bulls, a practice intended to improve tough meat, it also made them superb candidates for fighting other dogs. Because of their prowess in the dog fighting ring, they were instrumental in the development of both the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. When these violent “sports” became illegal in 1885, the breed was maintained by Bulldog fanciers who chose to breed for a more agreeable nature, and today’s English Bulldog is typically a docile animal who is capable of adapting to many situations. The Shar-Pei also has a long and mysterious past, but we do know that it, too, started out assisting farmers with working the farm, with hunting wild boar, and with guarding property. It was this dog's aggressive nature, coupled with the loose wrinkled skin that made it difficult for other dogs to gain a grip, that made this dog very capable in the fighting ring as well. Many dogs were killed in the 1940’s and 50’s in China due to famine, government policies, and fear of biological warfare and many breeds were decimated, including the Shar-Pei, but enough survived that they were recognized by the Hong Kong Kennel Club in the 1960’s. Crossbreeding these dogs may soften the aggressiveness of the Shar-Pei somewhat and will lengthen the snout of the Bulldog.
