KASU

Welcome to my website! I am Karen Kleinhans, owner of Kasu Chinese Shar-Pei, founded in 1982. As a college student in Columbia, MO, I saw the cover of LIFE magazine in 1979 which featured a Shar-Pei. I fell in love and collected pictures of the breed for the next couple of years. In Columbia one weekend in 1981 (visiting from my teaching job) I saw an ad for Shar-Pei in the local paper. I could not believe "my" rare breed was in the middle of Missouri! Indeed, I called and began a long time friendship with Jackie Bulgin of Show Me Shar-Pei and had the distinct honor of meeting the most historically important stud dog of the breed, Shir Du Bang, several months before the rest of world was introduced to him! I was captivated!

In 1982 I purchased "Odie" who can be seen on the Memorial page of this website. Shows were very limited then, but once I finished Odie's championship, I added two females and started a "real" breeding program! Some of the influential dogs can be seen on this site.

In addition, I began professionally handling for others in 1984, which became my profession for the next 10 years. I trained, handled and bred Shar-Pei, earned obedience titles, taught about the breed, judged and wrote about them.

Since the early 90's, I have worked in a different career, but maintain a kennel of many geriatric dogs and a few new up and comers. My regular column for the Barker breed magazine won a DWAA Maxwell award and my book, "A New Owner's Guide to Shar-Pei", published by TFH, was a finalist for a Maxwell.

Active in the CSPCA, I am currently President as well as chair of the Judges Education Chairman and recently become an AKC judge. This breed is my passion, plain and simple. To use my vast experience to educate new comers, judges and those simply interested in the breed is my long range goal. An occasional show dog or litter along the way just makes the road a little more fun!