Weim-Pei

The Weimaraner is a medium to large sized sporting dog standing twenty-three to twenty-seven inches at the shoulder, with males typically measuring twenty-five to twenty-seven inches and females twenty-three to twenty-five inches. Weight ranges from fifty-five to ninety pounds, with males averaging seventy to eighty-five pounds and females fifty-five to seventy-five pounds. The breed presents a picture of grace, speed, stamina, alertness, and balance, with an overall conformation that indicates the ability to work with great endurance in the field. The body is slightly longer than tall, creating an elegant, streamlined silhouette that reflects the breed's heritage as a versatile hunting dog developed for tracking, pointing, and retrieving game. The most distinctive feature of the Weimaraner is its unique coat color, ranging from mouse-gray to silver-gray with a metallic sheen that has earned the breed the nickname Gray Ghost. The short, smooth, sleek coat lies close to the body and is somewhat longer and thicker than in most comparable hunting breeds, providing weather protection without impeding movement. The coat typically blends to lighter shades on the head and ears. A small white marking on the chest is permitted by breed standards, though white elsewhere is considered a fault. The breed also exists in a less common longhaired variety with feathering on the ears, legs, and tail, though this variety is not recognized by all kennel clubs. The head is moderately long and aristocratic in appearance, with a moderate stop and a muzzle approximately equal in length to the skull when viewed in profile. The eyes are one of the breed's most striking features, appearing in shades of light amber, gray, or blue-gray and conveying an intelligent, alert expression. The large, lobular ears are set high and hang close to the head, reaching nearly to the nose when pulled forward. The nose is gray, and the lips and gums display gray or pink coloring. The feet are webbed, reflecting the breed's ability as a water retriever. The Weimaraner enjoys a relatively long lifespan for its size, typically living ten to fourteen years with proper care.

The Chinese Shar-Pei is a medium-sized, compact dog standing eighteen to twenty inches at the shoulder and weighing forty-five to sixty pounds. The breed exhibits a square body profile with height from the ground to the withers approximately equal to the length from the point of the breastbone to the rear. The Shar-Pei presents a unique appearance unlike any other breed, characterized by its loose, wrinkled skin, hippopotamus-shaped muzzle, and small triangular ears that lie flat against the head. Puppies are heavily wrinkled over their entire bodies, while adults typically retain significant wrinkling primarily on the head, neck, withers, and base of the tail. The breed's name translates from Chinese as sand skin, referring to the characteristic harsh, sandpaper-like texture of the coat. The extremely harsh coat is one of the breed's most distinguishing features and comes in two acceptable lengths: the horse coat, which is extremely short and prickly, and the brush coat, which is slightly longer but still no more than one inch at the withers. Both coat types are straight and stand away from the body rather than lying flat. The Shar-Pei comes in a wide variety of solid colors including black, blue, brown, cream, fawn, red, and various dilute shades, with darker shading down the back and on the ears being acceptable. Patterns such as brindle, parti-colored, and spotted are not permitted in the show ring. One of the Shar-Pei's most distinctive features is its blue-black tongue, a trait shared only with the Chow Chow and believed to indicate a common ancestry. The gums and roof of the mouth should also display dark pigmentation in most coat colors, though dilute-colored dogs have lavender pigmentation. The small, deeply set eyes contribute to the breed's characteristic scowling expression, which is further enhanced by the loose skin forming frowning brows and wrinkles between the eyes. The tail is high-set, thick at the base, tapering to a fine point, and curled over or to either side of the back. The Shar-Pei has a relatively short lifespan compared to some breeds, typically living nine to eleven years.