Shar Pei Whisper

Since owning a Shar Pei one common issue I come across is People stopping me in the street and asking questions, which I am only to happy to answer. However 50% of the question / conversation usually start with "I have a Shar Pei / I used to have a Shar Pei." That's when I think, "issues", and I'm usually right, all of the people I talk to that have one / had one and is always a boy around 2 years old and still has its' nuts and has turned on their owners. Somehow they see me as the Dog Whisper because I have a really nice Shar Pei that does not want to bite their hand off and I get bombarded by questions of how mine is so nice. But when I tell them that's all to do with routine, hours of training, lots of money spent on training and a strict owner, they don't want to know. 


This happened today at my local market where I was buying dog chews, a man I had never met came up and said 'Hi'. I said 'Hi' back and he went straight for the kill and said "is she vicious?" To which I replied "No, just tickle her under her chin, she's a bit aloof"
The conversation then followed onto how he has acquired a Shar Pei that his Son had, who then moved back with them and then out not taking the dog with him as he has got a new girlfriend pregnant and left the dog with his family as the dog has turned on the family and has become unpredictable. It was as if I have the answer to his question, which I don't. I did inform him of a local training club, and other methods of experimenting, but I got nothing back after telling him all of this stuff. I could try and help but I really need to know more about the dog. Is it my place to do this though? I do feel a duty to the breed to get rid of the tarnished reputation they have, but I have no qualifications in this and I'm only going on 2 years experience in the breed. What should I have said? Should I have done anything? His Daughter then came along and said she is not scared of dogs but this one really makes her recoil and scared. 


This is a common issue i come across in owning a breed like this. It's the "I couldn't be bothered to research the breed before I brought it and now I hate it." or "Aha, is that a Shar Pei?" Again I have to stand there and talk to them about the breed, which I don't mind but I'm always the one that ends up finishing the conversation by saying well it was really nice to speak to you but we have got to go." I always go away thinking I"oh I should have said this..." But is it really up to me? I can give them all that they need to know that I can think of there and then, but they should have done their own research.


It drives me mad. I'm not the Dog Whisper!