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 The
Coton de Tulear is a member of the Bichon family of dogs. The
Bichons are descendents of an ancient European breed, the Barbet. A
small, short-haired descendent of the Barbet, the "Bichon Tenerife," was
introduced to the Canary Islands by the Spanish. The Tenerife gave rise to
the modern, Mediterranean Maltese, the French Petit Lion Dog and Bichon
Frise, the Italian Bolognese, the South American Havanais, and the Coton
de Tulear.The Tenerife, now extinct, was introduced to the Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius and Reunion by sailors in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The breed acquired a long, cotton-like coat (perhaps the result of a single mutation) and was known as the "Coton de Reunion." The Coton de Reunion, a valued possession, accompanied merchants, officials, and pirates on their voyages. The Coton de Reunion is extinct, but its descendent, the Coton de Tulear, appeared at the pirate and slave-trading port of Tulear, Madagascar, during the 17th Century. Adopted by the ruling Merina tribal monarchy, it quickly became known as "The Royal Dog of Madagascar." During its long development on Madagascar, a native hunting dog (the Morondava Hunting Dog) was added to the Coton's ancestry, giving this Bichon-family breed extraordinary soundness and stamina. The Coton is the "Official Dog of Madagascar," and a Tri-Color Coton was honored on a postage stamp in 1974. Since the '70s, the Coton de Tulear has been recognized as a rare, pure-breed dog. Unfortunately, political and economic crises on Madagascar now threaten the Coton with extinction in their native land. If you have any questions , Please feel free to contact me. Now sit back and enjoy my world of Coton. |
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