Hello, we're Christina and Darrell, the proud owners of several cotons, a rare and wonderful breed of dogs from Madagascar. Cotons are very sociable dogs that get along well with children, other dogs and animals.  Our cotons are members of the Malagasy CTCA (Coton de Tulear Club of America), an association committed to preserving the original Malagasy bloodline of Cotons de Tulear.


 
Photos by Bella Wang  


“Newsie” is our Coton de Tulear female; born in August of 2007 to South Paw Kennel in Rhode Island.  She is an extraordinarily gentle and sweet dog, who loves to play, cuddle with us on the couch, and will enthusiastically greet anyone who we welcome into our home.  She is an alert watch dog, but will quickly change from barking to smiling and happily grunting at the presence of visiting family and friends.  Usually after meeting someone for the first time, she will be cuddled up on their lap within a few minutes. But mainly she just loves our companionship.  Because of her fantastic disposition, we decided to breed her in the summer of 2009.  We were lucky to find an equally wonderful stud dog in “Buddy” from Rock N' Roll Cotons in Rhode Island.  And in mid-September 2009, we were fortunate to have 5 healthy puppies.

We added to our family in more ways than one in 2010!  We kept Tormato, Newsie's eldest male puppy, and purchased a Coton who is compatible for breeding with Tormato, from Preston Hollow Cotons in Dallas, TX.  Her name is Aida.  In March of 2010 we also welcomed a daughter, Hero Sabine Amarylis Panza.  She is the latest addition to our brood and was welcomed with many kisses on her footsies from our dogs.  For pictures of our new family members please see the 'About Us' page on this website.

Our first litter of puppies was available for sale in mid-November of last year.  We have bred Newsie once more, for the second and last time in November 2010.  She had four puppies on January 13th, 2011.  All four puppies are already taken, but we are happy to answer questions from people interested in learning more about this amazing breed.  We are committed to furthering the Malagasy Coton de Tulear breed, but also want health and longevity in our pets.  We are comfortable with only breeding Newsie twice for that reason.  She will be fixed after this litter of puppies go to their forever homes.  We will breed Aida when she turns two years old, but as with Newsie, she will only be bred twice, and so if you're interested, please do contact us as soon as possible since we already have people asking to be on that list.  Our policy regarding receipt of puppies is that they are only available for pick-up, we will not ship puppies under any circumstances.

Information about the Breed:

The Coton de Tulear, pronounced "coe-TAWN day TULE-ee-r," earned its name from its unique, cotton-like hair, and for the port city of Tulear on the southwest coast of Madagascar.  Its dry, wind-tossed coat is probably the easiest to maintain of any long-haired breed, but it still requires regular grooming. The hair is about four-to-six inches long, dries quickly when wet, and requires relatively little brushing. It sheds very little, and rarely bothers people who suffer from chronic allergies. The coat should not be shiny, nor should it touch the ground from the chest or abdominal region.

Originally decendents of the ancient European Barbet: Cotons, Bichons, Poodles, and Briards share similarities in coat and disposition.  Cotons are specifically of the Morondava hunting dog lineage in Madagascar, which attributes to their heartiness and stamina. 

Cotons are very intelligent, most fairly easy to house train, and uncommonly gentle and laid back. They get along well with children and most pets. The Coton is an alert, lively companion, but it is slow to anger. Most Cotons bark seldom, although some will act as alarm clocks and guard dogs.  Please note that the behavior of any given dog is based upon the dog's heredity and its environment.  Poor early socialization can lead to problems for any dog of any breed.  And please recognize that you, as the new owner, will be the next step in this puppy's socialization and training. 

For hundreds of pages of details about Coton health and genetics, please refer to the CTCA's 1,100-page breed handbook, "The Official Coton de Tulear Book, 2nd Edition"

This is a link to the Malagasy Coton Club-http://www.cotonclub.org/