contons history

 

Several hundred years ago the Coton de Tulear arrived in Madagascar through the port of Tulear aboard pirate ships. It is believed that these little dogs were the companion pets to ladies making voyages for long periods of time at sea. Another theory is that they were the only survivors of a shipwreck. The little sturdy dogs swam until the made it ashore and established themselves. Once there, they became loved by the locals and became the pet dogs of the royal family. Only the wealthy were allowed to own a coton and so they were deemed the "Royal Dog of Madagascar".

In 1970 a Frenchman visiting the large island of Madagascar decided to bring some cottons back with him to France in order to work in having them recognized as a breed. Another gentleman by the name of Dr. Robert Jay Russell also came across the breed in 1973 while visiting the island and came back to America with the first cottons.