Coton de Tulear History (sort of...)

• 15th or 16th Century – It is thought that the Coton de Tulear originated in the port city of Tulear in Madagascar (currently named Toliara). One account is that their ancestors (thought to be related to the Bichon family of dogs) were shipwrecked during storms steered by Spanish and Portuguese sailors and they washed up in Tulear.

• 17th Century - France claimed Madagascar and these dogs became very popular with the new French aristocracy. It became illegal for commoners to own this rare breed and today they are known as the "Royal Dog of Madagascar".

• 1970-71 - The breed gained official recognition from the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) when they accepted them into their registry

• 1974 – The breed was honored on a postage stamp in Madagascar

  

  
  
• 1974-The first Cotons came to America when Dr. Robert Jay Russell sent breeding stock over from Madagascar

• 1975- The first Cotons appeared in Europe

• 1976– The Coton de Tulear Club of America was formed by Dr. Jay Russell to maintain the original Malagasy breed standard, pedigrees, and registrations

• 1992– The Madagascan government imposed an export stop to prevent the threat of extinction of the breed

• 1994– Four Coton clubs were formed in the U.S.and Canada

• 2005– According to the CTCA, nearly 2,000 Cotons de Tulear produced by 80 breeders worldwide were registered by the CTCA (in contrast, more than 70,000 Cotons have been produced in Europe since 1977).

• 2010- The USACTC announced its intention to pursue AKC recognition of the Coton de Tuléar. The American Coton Club and the Coton de Tulear Club of America have strongly opposed this, as they feel it will impact the overall health and well being of the breed.

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