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Volume 16 Issue 3 Fall 2016
The Coton Malgache
Inside This Issue
Right- GANGSTA BILLY THE KID - Aug 2016
President’s Message—Linda Brookes p. 2
Puppy Bellies p. 3
Bath Time? p. 3
Agility with Vegas p. 4
Microchips p. 6
Tangle Remover Brush p. 8
Don’t Give Up Just Yet p. 9
CFC Show Weekend-September 2016 p. 10
GANGSTA BILLY THE KID p. 11
Rome Italy in Aug 2016
2
President’s Message By Linda Brookes
As the summer has come to a close and we head towards snow, so too are things moving
along in the Coton world.
The CKC is currently in the middle of a referendum. Part of their referendum is seeking club
member's approval to accept new breeds into recognition. On their list is the Coton de
Tulear. But as you know, there is more to it than this step. Our current registry, the CFC, has
provided us years of excellent service. Personally I enjoy the benefit of using their online
pedigree information and being able to easily determine the Coefficient of Inbreeding for a
potential breeding pair. To date, no member of the CFC has requested a referendum to
leave them as a registry. I see staying with the CFC as a benefit to our breed. Not only do
we maintain the excellent registry service, but we can continue to show our dogs in the
CKC show rings throughout Canada. Regardless of how the referendum results turn out for
the Coton, we are with the CFC for the foreseeable future.
The CCTC continues to work towards maintaining and improving the strength of the
breed. One way that we are supporting this is through the collection of DNA swabs for sub-
mission to the CHIC DNA Repository. The CCTC is still offering reimbursement to members
who submit DNA samples. This initiative has been underway with our club for a couple of
months now and communication has gone out regarding the process. If you would like to
receive more information about it, please reach out to a board member and we will send it
forward to your attention. Having DNA stored for our dogs now, could be a big benefit to
our breed in the future. Please consider making the time and effort needed in order to do
this.
We have recently enhanced our existing Code of Ethics requiring breeders to identify the
sire and dam of each puppy sold in the contract they provide to the buyer. This is a benefit
to both the breeder and the buyer. For the breeder it ensures that the legal name of each
parent is included and cannot be contested in the future. It also is an identifying feature
allowing the buyer to find OFA health results online based on the registered name. This en-
sures transparency and allows the buyer to put faith in the breeder's records and line-
age. Breeders are to include this information in all contracts from this point forward: for both
sire and dam - registered name, call name, and registration number. Please ensure your
contracts are kept current so you will meet, if not exceed, the expectations under the
CCTC Code of Ethics.
For members who are on FaceBook, but have not yet joined the Coton Cafe, we encour-
age you to join in. Share your stories, pictures, tips, and feel free to ask questions. Open dis-
cussion about ongoing health concerns, training, and diet help everyone.
As winter closes in soon, please stay safe and enjoy your fur-family.
Please feel free to use our new "ask a breeder" email for any questions you may have. This CCTC service is
exclusive to our members. Email any questions to: askacotonbreeder@gmail.com
and you will receive an answer within 48 hours. One of our board of directors will answer with possible col-
laboration from the board. Feel free to ask anything Coton related from breeding to training! We hope
you enjoy this new service!
3
Puppy Bellies
Just over 2 weeks old. A boy and girl from Haskap and Kouros.
Photo courtesy of Linda Brookes
It seems none of my dogs are ever excited about
bath time. All I need to do is to put on my
grooming shirt and POOF! They all disap-
pear. Here is Vienna (Alika Tia Springtime in Vi-
Bath Time? By Linda Brookes
enna), who had her bath the night before this
photo, trying to find a hiding spot so I don't select
her as my next victim, er ummm, client.
4
at a World Agility Championship with this dog.
Paula laughs now as she didn’t really know what
I meant I wanted to compete at a world level
when I asked for a dog for agility. As a very inex-
perienced handler, this was only a dream.
We brought Vegas home in January 2010 and
we signed up for every agility class, seminar and
workshop that we could find. Vegas was confi-
dent, independent, food motivated and full of
attitude. She was my dream come true. Vegas
took to agility quickly and I had to push myself to
keep up! In 2012, at only two years old, Vegas
What can I say about agility with my girl, Vegas? By Barb Flowers
When Paula asked me to write an article for the
Coton newsletter, I immediately said sure. But as I
sat down to figure out what to say, I was
stumped. What can I say about agility with my
girl, Vegas?
Here is our story…….In 2009 our rescue dog had
passed away and we were looking to add a new
dog to our family. The Coton de Tulear ticked all
the boxes: small, sturdy, non-shedding, happy,
friendly and agile. We did a lot of research
online and contacted Paula Campbell of Cha-
pala Bay Cotons. We met one of her young
pups that lived in our city and we were hooked.
Later, we travelled the three hours to meet Paula
and her dogs and the Coton was exactly what
we were hoping for. We own property in Las Ve-
gas so a dog that could fly in the airplane cabin
was at the top of our list.
Vegas was born in November 2009. Vegas was
an independent pup who walked early and
even made an escape on her own out of Paula’s
inner yard before she was 8 weeks of age. I had
played agility with my older dog but had never
competed with him. I asked Paula for a dog that
I could play agility with. I secretly hoped that I
might have an opportunity to compete in Europe was offered the opportunity to compete for
Team Canada in Belgium at the World Agility
Open Championships. We trained very hard
over the winter to prepare, but we were still a
very novice dog and handler team. I was so
nervous as we stepped to the line for those first
few runs. We had two clean jumpers runs that
first day and placed 10th in Biathlon Jumping.
What a rush!
Agility, as in life, has many ups and downs. There
were many times that I felt like giving up: injuries,
broken start lines, failed contacts and pooping in
the ring are just a few of the struggles we’ve
faced. When one problem would be resolved
another would pop up to fill the gap. Training is
5
agility with my girl, Vegas continued...
never ending….. But I wouldn’t change a thing!
I have made many mistakes and have learned
so much about myself, about dog training and
problem solving over the last seven years.
We persevered through the tough times and we
have had so much success and most of all joy!
Vegas and I will be competing in the Nether-
lands in May 2017 at the World Agility Open
Championships. This will be Vegas’ seventh time
competing for Team Canada at a World Agility
Championships. I am so proud of this feisty little
Coton de Tulear and what we have accom-
plished. Our most amazing achievement was
earning a Bronze Medal in Gamble at the 2014
IFCS World Agility Championship in the Nether-
lands. I replay that run in my head often. https://
youtu.be/s2MiUkrtm0M We placed 4th Overall
(12”) at both the 2014 and 2015 IFCS World Agil-
ity Championships. We also earned a 1st and 3rd
place ribbon in Team at the World Agility Open
Championships. She is an extraordinary Coton
de Tulear. As far as I know, no other Coton has
ever won a medal at a World Agility Champion-
ship.
As much as medals, ribbons and overseas trips
are spectacular, the best part of this journey is
the special relationship I have with Vegas. Her
barking and screaming at me at the start line
are music to my ears. She is never far from my
side and is my constant companion. Life can
change in an instant and we never know
whether any run will be our last. I try to savour
every moment with my crazy Coton.
Barb and Vegas -
both photos courtesy of Barb
Vegas
6
As we all know, microchips are of the utmost impor-
tance. I have always bought mine from the Cana-
dian Kennel Club (CKC) and filled in the forms to
send them for transfer of ownership. Much to my sur-
prise, I found out the CKC actually does not enter
that information on the online data base. The only
way it can be traced is to phone them during busi-
ness hours and they can look it up. Needless to say,
this is not a great system. Something could happen
outside of business hours. I did ask the CKC to fix the
problem but they never got back to me. This led me to
find a better option.
I contacted EIDAP, who were more than happy to help.
I explained the problem. They took all the microchip
numbers that I had and entered them into their system.
They set me up with a portal so that I could enter my
own puppy adopter’s information and it can be
checked online anytime. They also offered a good
price. I could not have been happier with their service. I
had a talk with them about mistaken information about
Microchips By Paula Campbell
7
microchips. They told me it was a common problem. I
discussed the possibility of them offering up their great
service to our club. They offered a very competitive
price with no fees to register and the ability for us to
enter in our own information. The following ad explains
the details and gives the code to obtain member
pricing. We hope this comes as good news!
Microchips continued...
8
One of my favourite grooming tools is the Les
Poochs Gold brush. This brush is not currently
available for sale as the manufacturing had
stopped for a few years. In my search to find a
suitable replacement, at a reasonable price, for
my puppy families I came across one on Amazon
by Master Grooming Tools (MGT) that is very
similar although of lesser quality. The Les Poochs
brushes are typically around the $70 mark and
the MGT one is under $30.
The brush is a two sided slicker
type brush. One side has bent
bristles and the other side is
straight. I use the bent side.
These brushes are available in
the single and double wide sizes.
Since the Coton is a small dog
and the brush will often be used
in small spaces like arm pits, I rec-
ommend the single size as shown
in the photos here.
This brush is the best way I have
found to gently remove tangles.
It’s very gentle on the dog’s skin
and they don’t complain when I
brush them with it at all, even my
dogs who are self-proclaimed
princesses and complain about
everything.
To use the brush, as with all brushes, pull away
from the root. Hold the tangle in your hand with
your finger and thumb between the tangle and
the skin, lay the tangle across your hand. Allow
just the weight of the brush to do the work, don’t
apply extra pressure. It’s the gentle repetition of
the light touch that will remove the tangle and
preserve the hairs that are still intact. Work the
tangle from all sides – You can flip the tangle to
the “back” of the tangle and work that side,
work the front, and also pull out from each side.
It can be used on tangles that are right at the
skin level. Just remember that the bristles are
touching the dog’s skin and you are not holding
the hair from being pulled by the brush so you will
have to be extra gentle.
This is also a great slicker brush to fluff up the feet
just before going into the show ring.
For those times when I brush and comb the dog’s
coat and there are “tufty-doodles” left floating in
the coat hairs because they are too small to be
removed with the brush or comb, using this brush
to go over those areas will quickly remove the
little tufts.
You will both hear and feel tangles in the coat
with your grooming hand holding the brush as
you work them out. This brush may just be a coat
saver during the coat change.
I also recommend that if the tangle was dry
when you brushed it out, that you wet the hair
with a mixture of water and conditioner then dry
and brush it again. The purpose of this is that,
similar to putting hair rollers in human hair when
wet to make long lasting curls, that the hairs have
dried in the place of the tangle and are more
likely to re-tangle faster. Dampening and drying
the now smooth hair will remove the waves to
decrease the possibility of tangling again.
Tangle Remover Brush by Linda Brookes
9
When one of our females is ready to have her
puppies, I disappear. My husband, Lary, is there
to give them a helping hand. I don’t know why,
but I am totally stressed when it is time for
whelping. I am sure my stress doesn’t help our
females to feel comfortable and safe. Lary is
confident, calm, ready to help and will step in
only if necessary. My job is to prepare every-
thing, and when the whelping starts, I am some-
where else but ready to help, bugging him
about how things are going and if everything is
ok. I’m also there to take care of the mother and
the puppies after the whelping.
Two days ago, it was Gladia’s turn to have her
puppies. I was able to hear 2 little heartbeats.
Her belly was not very big. We were expecting
perhaps a litter of 2 puppies. The first one came,
a little female, 210 grams. She was slow to start
but was fine. A little less than an hour later, the
second one arrived. Another female, but this
one was not breathing, no tonus. Lary started to
massage her. My job was to heat face clothes in
the microwave and to bring them to him. At the
beginning, nothing happened. Suddenly, the
mouth opened. Still no tonus. Could it have
been a reflex or ? Lary continued massaging, I
continued to warm the facecloths. 20 minutes
after her birth, there was a little cry ? a little
movement ? the tonus seemed to be better ?
Still massaging the puppy, Lary asked me for a
little glass of scotch. For him and… for the
puppy.
Close to 40 minutes later, after warming up face-
cloths 60 times or more, we welcomed a beauti-
ful live puppy ! I want to call her Miracle Lary.
She is doing very well ! She is small but is taking
on weight every day.
Don’t give up just yet …… By Marie-France Prayal
This puppy had no abnormalities , just needed a
helping hand and plenty of warmth to get
started. When they arrive like that, our first reflex
is to say oh, this puppy is dead, why ? But, it is
always a good idea to give it a try. Not for a
few minutes, but as long as you believe there
may be a spark of a chance. Any little sign of life
encourages one to keep on going.
I am so lucky to have Lary working with me and
our Cotons ! Thank you, Lary, for giving us the
chance to get to know her !
Gladia’s puppies doing well!
Photo supplied by Marie-France
10
On September 10 & 11 there were 4 CFC shows
held in St. Louis, Quebec. We had 6 Cotons at
this show which, for our breed, is a really good
turn out! The dogs that were entered were from
several breeders around the world; east and
west Canada, the USA, and even Italy!
There were 3 members of the CCTC at this show -
Sylvie St Amand, Marie-France Prayal, and my-
self, Linda Brookes. We camped at the show site
beside each other and shared not only the show
experience, but also the camaraderie and re-
laxation time between shows. Sharing a meal,
some snacks, grooming tricks, perhaps a teeny
glass of wine (them of course, not me!!!!
LOL) and helping each other to ensure we all
had our dogs ready for the ring.
There are many benefits and things to enjoy
CFC Show Weekend - September 2016 By Linda Brookes
through participating in dog shows. In the ring I
enjoy seeing dogs and their owners/handlers
meet new goals or take a step forward in their
own presentation. Handling dogs in shows can
be a challenge, especially in the begin-
ning. Every day, every show, the dog may be-
have differently. It could be the noise, the
ground, the weather, or the energy level in gen-
eral that affect the dog. I love to see when
dogs, throughout a series of shows like on this
weekend, develop their confidence and comfort
level. When judges award a different dog than
another judge, it reassures us as owners and
breeders that all dogs have strengths and weak-
nesses to consider when choosing a mate and
we need to value their strong points.
In the photo you will see Sylvie,
her husband Peter, Marie-
France, and one of the judges
all proudly displaying some of
the dogs and the ribbons
awarded over the weekend.
Here is a breakdown of the show details:
Entries:
Elementary Puppy Male – Billy (Coton CPH’s Gangsta Billy the Kid) Breeder – Bettina Martens, Owner – Marie-France Prayal
Puppy Female – Agate (Agate Emmy de Bijoux de Coton) Breeder – Sylvie St-Amand, Owner – Sylvie St-Amand
Junior Male – Mahalo (Cotonfield Mahalo), Breeder – Diane Benaroch, Owner – Marie-France Prayal
Junior Male – Onyx (Alika Tia Heritage Harvey), Breeder – Linda Brookes, Owner – Sylvie St-Amand
Junior Female – Krystal (Alika Tia Heritage Mable), Breeder – Linda Brookes, Owner – Marie-France Prayal
Open Female – Karma (Shiloh’s Karma is a Knockin’), Breeder – Kellie Bruce, Owner – Linda Brookes
Achievements:
New Titles Earned: Jr CH – Onyx; CFC CH – Karma
Best of Breed: Onyx X 1; Krystal X 1; Karma X 2
Placements at Group Level – Billy – Best Elementary Puppy in Group X 4; Agate - Best Puppy in Group X 4; Karma - Group 2;
Onyx, Krystal, Karma – each placed once as Group 3;
Placements at Show Level – Billy – Best Elementary Puppy in Show X 2
11
Last year, I started to communicate with a
breeder from Denmark, Bettina Martens. I really
like her Cotons and also their pedigrees. The
communication was positive and to no surprise, I
made a reservation for a little male.
In the beginning of May 2016, Bettina had a litter
of 2 males. They both were beautiful puppies
and I had the privilege to get one. At the time,
Bettina was moving to Italy and the plan was for
me to meet her in Rome at the end of August.
For me, there was no question how my newest
little boy would travel home.
I booked a flight, leaving Halifax August 19,
meeting Bettina on the 20th and coming back
home to Halifax on the 21st. I arrived without
any problem near Rome, took the bus to town
and found the hotel.
Ok, I am here ! It was very warm and sunny. I
decided to start exploring and went for a walk.
So many people, beautiful old monuments and
buildings ! And, by the way, it was my birthday…
The next day, I met Bettina at the hotel. There
was a nice garden there, it was perfect. Billy
and I started our relationship with a kiss and we
became a good team right away.
GANGSTA BILLY THE KID By Marie-France Prayal
It was time for Billy and I to leave for Halifax ; to
go back to the airport. We took a taxi to the bus
station, were almost in an accident but arrived
safely. This was not a good start to the trip
home . We arrived at the airport, Billy in his bag.
I did the check- in with Billy still in his bag. He did-
n’t make a sound but he was a little stressed. I
decided to give to him a pill to help for the long
travel. Finally we were in the plane. I was seated
with a lady and a baby ; a crying baby. Not
good for the nerves. Billy, with his little pill, was
fine in his bag. We arrived at Montreal later than
planned. I had to go through customs and be-
cause of Billy, I had to declare him and go back
through security. The question ; Is there enough
time to catch my next plane ? Billy was still in his
bag ; Not complaining ! I arrived at the gate just
in time for the check- in ! Billy, you are a lucky
puppy ! Lary, my husband, was at the airport to
welcome us. Finally, Billy was able to come out
from the bag and finish his trip in my arms.
He is a beautiful puppy, full of life, very attentive,
who likes to learn. He gets along well with all my
Cotons. His best friend is Krystal and of course,
my 2 puppies, Laika and Lahlou. I already went
to a show weekend with him and he did very
well ! I had no trouble getting his papers, he
was already registered with the CFC before he
came home.
I would like to thank Bettina for trusting me and
giving me the chance to welcome this beautiful
puppy to our home.
P.S. Last minute infor-
mation, November 10,
2016 : We were ready
today to go to our first
CKC show in Moncton.
I decided not to go
with Billy. A big kennel
cough problem is in
the area and I don’t
want to bring this
problem home. He will
have to wait until next
year to go in the ring.
12
About Us….
Denis Carriere founded the Coton Malgache Publication in 1994
so that breed fanciers might share their mutual interest. The
club’s aim is to support, educate and advise owners, members
and prospective owners about the Coton de Tulear.
All members of the CCTC will abide by a code of ethics that will
govern the breeding and prosperity of these lovely animals, pro-
tecting and preserving the qualities of the Coton de Tulear, and
striving for its betterment.
CCTC publishes the Coton Malgache quarterly in March, June,
September and December. We encourage your submissions!
Please send photos of, and articles about your Cotons.
Photos will be returned upon request if you include a S.A.S.E.
Deadline for the Winter issue 2016
Coton Malgache is December 15, 2016. Theme’s for this issue are:
Please send all submissions for the Coton Malgache to:
Email: hawks_n_hooves@yourlink.ca
Subscriptions to the Coton Malgache are included with a CCTC membership.
The CCTC is a Canadian non-profit organization .
All renewing memberships are due January 31 each year.
The opinions expressed in the Coton Malgache are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or
CCTC.
The articles in the Coton Malgache belong to their authors and
cannot be reproduced either in whole or in part in any form with-
out written permission of the author.
CCTC Executive
President: Linda Brookes
Email: shoes.and.dogs@hotmail.com
Vice-President: Sonja Femia
Email: femias@sympatico.ca
Secretary: Paula Campbell
Email: paula@chapalabaycotons.com
Treasurer: Marie-France Prayal
Email: polana@ns.sympatico.ca
Director: Corinna Yannoulopoulos
Email: demcor@sympatico.ca
Director: Margaret Stagg
Email: mstagg1@cogeco.ca
Director: Ed Cooper
Email: ejcooper@bellaliant.net
Director: Linda Stevens
Email: hawks_n_hooves@yourlink.ca
Website Liaison : Marie-France Prayal
Email: polana@ns.sympatico.ca
Newsletter Editor: Linda Stevens
Email: hawks_n_hooves@yourlink.ca
www.coton.ca
Advertising is available on our website.
*
Sponsor Advertising
$25 per calendar year for a business card
$45 per calendar year with a live link to a website
*
Breeder Directory
Members Only
*
Litter Announcements
Available FREE of charge to Breeder Members Only
Contact Marie-France Prayal
polana@ns.sympatico.ca Tel. 902-757-0826
This magazine is your opportunity to share your stories. I will print all submissions.
Winter challenges for Coton owners, fun in the winter, winter photo’s with Coton’s
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