History of the Coton de Tulear
The
Royal Dog of Madagascar
The
history of the Coton de Tulear can be described as mysterious, intriguing,
exotic and romantic. Their adventuresome past certainly has led them
around the world charming all those they meet. Although they are new
to the modern dog world they're considered an ancient breed with origins
possibly in Central Asia. This little white dog possibly made its’
way from central Asia on trade caravans ending up in the Mediterranean
Sea area. There is mention of small white dogs in the time of Aristotle
who graced the elegant courts. These white dogs were popular companions
with Roman aristocracy who called them "table dogs". This
little white dog was known as the "Meletei". This name may
have come from the Sicilian town of Melita. This fluffy white dog
was also found on the island of Malta where they became known as the
modern day Maltese.
As
the Roman Empire fell the Meletei was mated with another popular
breed, the Barbet.
The ancient
Barbet was a curly haired medium sized dog thought to be the ancestor
of breeds including the Poodle, Portuguese Water dog and other water
loving breeds.
Breeding the
Meletei and Barbet together gave rise to the "Barbichon"
family of dogs which included the Bichon Maltais, Bichon Havanais,
Bichon Bolognese and the Bichon Teneriffe. The modern day breeds
in the Bichon family are Maltese, Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Havanese,
Coton de Tulear and the Lowchien.
Barbichons traveled the Mediterranean aboard trade ships. At various
ports the little white dogs disembarked possibly mating with other
local dogs. This created a slightly different characteristic with
each breed. All seemed to attract the attention of nobility and
aristocracy who pampered the little dogs. Days at sea were not exciting
for sailors or the women traveling with them. The little white dogs
were wonderful entertaining companions and also helped control the
rodent population on the vessel.
The Barbichon
was brought to the Tenerife in the Canary Islands by Spanish sailors
and was later referred to as the Bichon Tenerife, now extinct. They
are the ancestor to the Bichon Frise and Coton de Tulear. The Bichon
Frise was later brought to France where they became extremely popular
in the courts of French nobility.
In the 15th
century, sailors and possibly pirates, brought the Bichon Tenerife
to the islands of Mauritius and Reunion in the Indian Ocean via
the Mozambique Channel. It is thought while on the Island of Reunion
the Bichon Tenerife either mated with local dogs or underwent a
gene mutation which brought about a longer straighter cotton coat.
These little dogs were called Coton de la Reunion.
Madagascar was
considered to be a bridge of connection between the continents of
Asia and Africa and was a popular refueling stop for maritime trade.
Having the Coton de la Reunion show up in Madagascar in the 16th
century is not surprising. The Coton de Tulear is thought to be
descended from the Cotons on Reunion Island. How the Cotons ended
up in Madagascar is a mystery containing many legendary tales. One
legend involves a ship wreck during a violent storm near the bay
of Tulear on the Southwest side of Madagascar. It is said all the
humans perished. But the little robust Cotons survived and were
able to swim ashore after fighting off hungry sharks. Their light
cotton coats perhaps making them more buoyant. Perhaps this is the
most feasible explanation for the Cotons’ arrival on Madagascar
since they were eventually named after the bay of Tulear.
Another legend
also involves a shipwreck on the southeast side of Madagascar whereby
the Cotons spread throughout the island after swimming ashore.
Yet another
possibility is Spanish and French sailors or pirates brought the
Bichon Tenerife to Madagascar. In any case it is believed the Cotons
mated with local dogs to create the modern day Coton de Tulear.
It is possible the little white dog mated with small dogs of color
creating the color dilution gene unique to Cotons. Coton puppies
born with color usually fade to white as they mature into adulthood.
The original
Cotons on Madagascar were feral, surviving by hunting and scavenging.
One of their favorite meals was small wild boar native to Madagascar.
They were able to adapt to the natural diverse and rugged conditions
on the island. They lived in the rain forests and scrub of southern
Madagascar near the sea and the port of Tulear. They had to survive
arid conditions on the island as well as the Monsoons. The Cotons
led a much different life than their pampered Bichon cousins in
Europe.This brought about a strong constitution for survival, a
keen intelligence, vigilance, adaptability, alertness. They also
learned to live in packs increasing their odds of survival. It is
possible the tropical climate of Madagascar influenced the coat
developing into a light and airy cotton which was a natural air
conditioning.
There is a wonderful
legend illustrating the intelligence and spunk of the Coton de Tulear.
Crocodiles are native to Madagascar infesting rivers and streams.
When Cotons needed to cross a river, crocs presented a danger to
be avoided. It is said the Cotons would find the narrowest crossing.
There most of the pack would wait while the loudest Cotons found
a wide area nearby. After reaching the wide area, the loud Cotons
began to bark causing a fuss. The noise attracted the crocodiles
and lizards to that area, away from the other Cotons. The clever
Cotons would run back to their friends waiting on the narrow bank
where they could all safely cross while the crocs were busy with
the lizards.
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Malagasy
Stamp 1974 |
Some time during
the 17th century these cute wild dogs with the cotton-like coats
attracted the attention of the native Merina tribe whereby they
became the favorite pets of the tribal monarchy.
The little Cotons
were often given as gifts to please and impress the Merina nobility.
They became
known as the "Royal Dog of Madagascar," a proud name they
retain today and were honored in 1974 by having a stamp made proclaiming
them the "Royal Dog of Madagascar". These cute little
feral dogs became domesticated more and more as their popularity
rose.
The French began
colonizing the island as the spice routes to India and the Middle
East were developed. By the late 17th century the French were established
on the southeast side of the island at Fort Dauphin. In the 17th
century France claimed the island and many of the French aristocracy
arrived to lead an idyllic in paradise.
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Vanilla
Bean Flower |
In 1658, there
was recorded evidence of little white dogs in the book, "History
of the great Isle of Madagascar", written by the regional
Governor Etienne de Flacourt. He wrote, "there are a quantity
of dogs, which are small, have a long nose and short legs like foxes.
There are those who are white. They are caused by dogs who have
come from France who remained. They have short ears."
The French living
on Madagascar inevitably fell in love with the charming personality
of the Cotons as well as finding them beautiful, intelligent and
loyal. It became unlawful for commoners to have Cotons as they were
considered a privilege amongst the nobility.
It is possible
the French were the first to begin selectively breeding the Coton.
They would breed the Cotons for their own enjoyment and companionship.
It is totally possible when returning to France they took their
little white companions with them to enjoy and share. We do know
they were a very popular status symbol.
There are those
who believe selective breeding of the Coton really began as late
as World War II. French soldiers were trapped on Madagascar afraid
of being caught or killed by the Germans. These soldiers had little
to occupy their time. It's is said these soldiers participated in
selectively breeding the "Cotons" to other existing breeds
such as the Maltese, Papillon, Bedlington Terrier and other native
dogs. Thus they ended up with a white dog with long straight hair
and a wonderful temperament.
By the 1960's
tourism between France and Madagascar increased as Madagascar had
attained their independence from the French. The little dogs arrived
in France at Orly airport with airline personnel, tourists and diplomats
who fell in love with the little dogs while vacationing on Madagascar.
The European price for a Coton more than paid for the trip. This
exposed the little Cotons to a whole new world. People became enchanted
with their sweet but spunky personalities and lovely cotton coats.
As popularity
of the Coton de Tulear in Europe increased, in 1970 Monsieur Louis
Petit, President of the Canine Society of Madagascar, submitted
a request to the FCI (Fèdèration Cynologique Internationale) for
breed recognition of the Coton de Tulear. The original standard
was developed and submitted but later revised in 1987, 1995 and
1999. The last revision is the current standard used today [view
current standard].
Breeders kept
no official documentation or pedigrees on the Cotons in Madagascar.
The Cotons exported to Europe were given the initial TI (Titular
Initiale) by their names indicating they were the original Cotons
and no further information is known about their ancestry. Once the
Malagasy were able to deport the Cotons with "purebred"
papers, demand escalated which eventually depleted the Malagasy
supply. The Coton de Tulear was an instant hit in Europe. Breeders
began refining the breed to the standard by improving dental bites,
pigment, structure, coat quality and color. Initially the Coton
was diverse in size, color and structure. It was up to the breeders
to develop a "type" that fit within the standard. It took
generations of selective breeding to the standard in order to achieve
the beautiful Coton we see today. The breeders achieved success
in setting the Coton type and improving its’ coat. In 1992 Monsieur
Petit was invited to judge the Cotons in a dog show in France and
was very astounded at the improvement of the Coton coats. No longer
were they a straggly white. He found a much fuller, longer and fluffy
Coton coat. The French led the way when the CCCE (Chihuahua and
Exotic Dogs) club recognized the Coton de Tulear and began revising
the standard. Europeans preferred a smaller white Coton and incorporated
that into a new standard, loosely based on Monsieur Petit's original
standard. As Coton breeding expanded in the late 1970's, the smaller
white Cotons in Madagascar became more scarce. Because of that,
a slightly larger Coton with some color began arriving in Europe.
The added color contributed to improving the Coton pigment which
makes the face so cute and alert.
The Coton truly
thrived in France where they have become one of the great breeds.
People are attracted to the exotic legends of the Coton's romantic
past. Plus their cute personalities are quick to charm their way
into anyone's heart.
By the 1980's
most of the Cotons had been exported. The Malagasy realized they
had failed to take the measures necessary to protect the Coton in
their true homeland. The Malagasy felt the best quality dogs had
left the country.
In the late
1980's the Malagasy government began regulating the yearly number
of "documented" Cotons who could leave the island. Each
family could leave the island with a maximum of two Cotons per year.
A total maximum yearly deportation of 200 Cotons. Once the maximum
total was reached, no more Cotons could leave that year. The only
way to legitimately obtain a Malagasy Coton was from the generosity
of a Malagasy family. It was not an easy task for a family, therefore
many didn't take the time to do the paperwork to obtain an official
pedigree. You were considered very lucky to obtain a Coton from
a giving Malagasy family.
However, regulating
the Coton did nothing for the exportation of "non-pedigreed
" Cotons and this had a detrimental affect on the breed. Madagascar
is a very poor country, the cost of a Coton de Tulear was equivalent
to a 2-3 year annual salary for a Malagasy family. Thus the black
market for Cotons was extremely attractive. This all led to the
virtual disappearance of the Coton de Tulear in their homeland of
Madagascar. The demand in Europe was so high, some had taken any
small white dog out of Madagascar and called it a Coton. Or mated
other breeds with the Coton producing a black market of mixed breeds.
Some people were breeding any small white dog, passing it off as
a Coton. while collecting a Coton price for the dog.
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"James",
one of the original foundation stock males |
The French did
want to help the plight of the Coton in their native land. In hopes
of helping to replenish the Malagasy Coton stock, the French supplied
them with 2 Cotons to be used for breeding. But because of the economic
conditions on the island those attempts failed and no one seems
to know what happened to those 2 French Cotons.
James (pictured
at right) was one of the original foundation stock males who
appears in many of our pedigrees. James was abandoned in Madagascar
and claimed by Monsieur and Madame Moreau of the French kennel Aiguevives.
Helene Moreau was captivated by this male quickly falling in love
with his sweet personality and handsome looks. He was the first
Coton de Tulear show champion in 1982 and went on to be the premier
stud of the Moreau's. James was the Father of other famous studs
including Hutchinson who became a premier stud of Woodland Cottage,
Roi de Coeur d' Aigeuvives and Vanderling de la Draille desCallioux.
Okasaki Pong,
another original foundation stock male, was traded on a beach in
Madagascar for a bottle of whiskey. Okasaki sired litters in many
of the original Coton kennels in Europe.
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Ringtail
Lemurs |
Some of the
original French kennels are for the most part gone now but live
on in our Coton pedigrees. Here are a few of the original Coton
breeders: Des Tourtelles Clessy, de Guitelione, de la Perle de l'Ocean
Indien, Domaine de Manakara, Valaury's Cottage, de la Fosse aux
Renards, Diabolo Swing. From France the Coton spread through Europe
with breeders in Scandinavia, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Germany
and Switzerland.
In 1974 Dr Jay
Russell was studying the lemurs in Madagascar and was the first
to export Cotons to the USA. He and his Father, “Lew” were the first
to breed the Coton de Tulear in the United States under the kennel
name of Oakshade. Their first litter was in 1976. Jiijy of Billy
was the first Coton born in the US. Jay Russell is the founder of
the CTCA and has written a Coton standard differing from the European
FCI standard. Much of the CTCA breeding stock originates with Cotons
brought over from Madagascar. The "European" Coton adhering
to the FCI standard arrived in the US in 1977 with Jacques Sade
who purchased his Cotons in France. His kennel was Plattekill which
produced Cottonkist Macaroon, the first US Coton champion and premier
US stud. In 1986 Monsieur Sade sold Macaroon to Kennette Tabor of
kennel Cottonkist.
It's not surprising
the Coton found its way to French speaking Quebec Canada. Breeders
had heard of this marvelous white dog from trips abroad and from
family members. One of the major assets of the Coton is its’ adaptability
even in northern climates. Cotons love snow thus the Canadians knew
they would thrive there. Monsieur Melville Landry imported the first
French Coton to Quebec in 1989.
It has taken
some time for North America to familiarize themselves with this
magnificent breed. Increasing demand in North America began in the
mid 1990's and continues to gain popularity in the 2000's. In 1995
there were 16 Coton breeders in the U.S. The Coton has come a long
way in the 20+ years here in the US. Currently they seem to be very
popular on both coasts but Middle America is discovering the Coton
more and more.
The history
of the Coton de Tulear is mysteriously enchanting. Unfortunately
few facts are known but the legends and folklore associated with
this cute white dog are compelling and intriguing. This all fosters
the romance and allure these little creatures bring to our own lives.
Once you are loved by a Coton you know their adventuresome past
led them right to your heart.
Satellite
image of Magadascar
