Coton De Tulear: Small Dog, Big Adventure
You’d never know it from the looks of this pampered little lap dog, but the history of the Coton de Tulear is filled with romance and adventure.
Legend has it that during the 15th century small white dogs, thought to be ancestors of the Bichon Frise, were used aboard ships sailing from France to the West Indies to keep the women company as well as rid the ship of unwanted vermon. It is believed that one such ship sank during a violent storm off the coast of Madagascar. While everyone aboard perished in the sea, the little dogs managed to doggy-paddle to shore near the port of Tulear.
The extreme wilderness proved to be no match
for these fluffy castaways as they mated with
local dogs, banded together in packs to hunt
wild boar, and learned to cross croc-infested
rivers. The way these little dogs managed
to out-wit their would be predators is quite
remarkable. The pack would split into two
groups. One group would go to a wide part
of the river and create a diversion thereby
attracting the crocodiles, meanwhile, the
other group would be at a narrow spot ready
to, once again, doggy-paddle for their lives.
Then, they'd switch.
Before long, the natives of the island witnessed the bravery and cunning of these dogs and proceeded to domesticate them. Eventually, Madagascar royalty took such an interest that a law was passed and only nobility was permitted to own the Coton. In fact, as a peasant, being caught with one was punishable by death. Known also as the Royal Dog of Madagascar, the Coton de Tulear even appears on a postage stamp.
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