Ori Pei

The first time you see an Ori Pei, your brain short-circuits a little. It's like someone took the Shar Pei's magnificent wrinkles and said 'What if we made them more portable?' Then they added a Pug's enormous, soulful eyes and that irresistible smooshed face, and the result is a dog that looks like a tiny, velvet-covered bulldog who fell asleep in a warm dryer and came out with permanent pleats. Every wrinkle tells a story — mostly stories about how they'd like another treat, please, and could you also scratch right there, no, a little to the left, yes THERE. They're sturdier than they look, these little wrinkle factories. The Ori Pei was one of the first intentional designer breeds, created in the 1970s specifically to capture the Shar Pei's iconic folds while breeding out some of the health issues that plague the purebred. And it worked — you get all the wrinkly charm in a slightly smaller, slightly healthier, significantly more stubborn package. Because oh, they inherited the stubbornness from both sides. Your Ori Pei will look at you with those big liquid eyes, process your command through their impressive little brain, and then do exactly what they were going to do anyway. But they'll do it while leaning against your leg, because the one thing they never resist is being close to their person. They're velcro dogs wrapped in velvet folds, and once one claims you, you're claimed for life.