They used to be popular impulse dogs but now people know better. Overbreeding and impulse buying can destroy the good health and good reputation of any breed. Even people who aren't allergic to dogs can have reactions to the shar-peis unusual fur. Their fur is like sandpaper not fur and petting an adult dog can give you a rash. Also they have tons of health problems; dysplasia, eye problems, skin problems, just to name a few. They were bred for dog fighting and can still be aggressive if they aren't trained and socialized properly. You need to find one of few reputable breeders to find a good Shar-pei. By the way I have never seen it as Char-pei. We still get a few into our humane society once in a while from people who bought them on impulse and realized that this is not the dog for them. It will be a while before they fully overcome the 1980's shar-pei craze. I wish cockers would recover from their overbreeding craze already, people are sometimes afraid of my Pepper, who grew up with children and was the perfect child's pet who never bit a soul.