The Coton Malgache - Canadian Coton De Tulear Club

The Coton MalgacheMerry Christmas & Happy New Year!December 2011Due to an injury affecting her typing ability, we regret that wedo not have a President’s report from Barb Canduro this issue. Iwill fill in as best I can.The Annual General Meeting scheduled for December 18, 2011was postponed and a special meeting of the Board of Directorswas held instead. We await news of that meeting and a newdate for the AGM.Good news… Linda Brookes has volunteered to take over theCCTC secretary position which will also include membershipduties. Thank you, Linda!The revised website for the club was recently launched. If youhave not checked out the fabulous new look, please do so atwww.coton.ca. Many thanks to Diane Benaroch and her “elves”for getting this important project to completion.Without a doubt, the most significant event of the past year isthe tragic loss of member Valerie Ford of Cotonnelle who was adedicated advocate for the Coton. In both sadness andcelebration of Valerie’s, we dedicate this issue of the CotonMalgache to the memory of Valerie Ford.Chris Wasylishyn, Newsletter EditorInside this issue:In Memory of Valerie Ford 2Mini-Pocket-Peanut 5Hallowe’en Magic 6Photo Contest Feedback 6What’s Wrong with thisPicture? 7Members Renewal Reminder 7A Show Story 8A “Dream” Come True 10More Dog Show Awards 12Pond Dogs (Photo) 13Christmas Presents (Photos) 13CCTC—About Us 14

In Memory of Valerie FordNovember 14, 1953 - October 31, 2011.I was shocked and very sad when I heard the news of Valerie's death. Ihave fond memories of Valerie, our long conversations about our dogs,our families and life. "Life isn't always fair" as it is hard to think that inone instant a life is just taken away. Life brings tears, smiles andmemories. The tears dry, the smile fades, but the memories live onforever.On the day after hearing the news of her death, I was reminiscing aboutour discussions, moments we had shared at dog shows and the onememory that came back to my mind was the CFC’s First Autumn show inCanada, October 16/17, 2004. After the show we had organized a banquetand Valerie came with her mother and brother. She was so happy to havehad the opportunity to offer such an unforgettable evening to her motherand brother. A few days after the event Valerie wrote that that eveningwas so special for her mother, fulfilling a dream of living a night ofglamour. Her mother died a few months later. That was Valerie, alwaysthinking of making others happy.The last time I met Valerie was in Texas where I had judged the USACTC Specialty. This is what Valeriewrote : « I would like to take the opportunity to thank you the presentation of the Lopatin awardhonouring Simba for his acheivemnts. I would also like to thank you for my Best of Winners win in theSpecialty show. After 13 years of breeding Cotons, this weekend proved to me that I have consistancywithin my breeding program. When looking at the show results my little ones placed in the winnings 4 ofthe 6 shows. I am so proud of them!!! »Valerie and I never missed wishing each other the best on our birthdays as we shared the same day,November 14, but this year she will hear my prayer, wishing her wherever she is, that she is happy.My heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy goes out to Valerie’s family as you struggle through thegrief and sadness. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayersMay Valerie rest in peace and may God bless her soul in peace and paradiseSuzanne LavigneDe Montarville Coton de Tuléar

More Memories of Valerie FordValerie Ford (L) with JoanneMouryas and armfuls ofCotonsValerie Ford was my friend, my mentor, and my confidant. I met Valerie for the first timeat the Rare Breed Show in Woodstock in July of 2006. I had just come back from Spainwith my two beautiful Coton de Tulears, Caton and Caitie. I had gone for one and endedup with two. It's happened to most of us. There were many Coton breeders at the showthat weekend. Valerie and I spent a lot of time chatting. She told me that I had herpuppy. I thought she was joking. As it turns out, while I was in Spain picking up my littleCaton, who I had already paid for, his breeder was trying to sell him to Valerie. Just thisyear, Valerie showed me the correspondence between herself and Caton's breeder. Wehad a good laugh about that over the years.On that weekend that I met Valerie in 2006, she was showing two beautiful 3 month old pups who I later found out wereBam Bam Kazaam and his littermate Envy-Me. Even though they were so young, they moved around the ring withease. This was a reflection of how good Valerie had become at producing and training show quality dogs. We wouldsee each other at shows following this meeting and we would speak on the phone regularly. At first she was a littleguarded since I was a new breeder and she did not know if I was breeding for the right reasons. As she got to know meand realized that I was in this for the long haul, she opened up and became my best friend. We learned so much fromone another. Valerie often said that each litter brought with it new challenges. She was right. She said that she neverstopped learning even though she had been breeding Cotons for 14 years.I used to love driving to the country to visit with Valerie. It was a beautiful trip and I enjoyed spending time with herdiscussing dogs, life and anything else that tickled our fancy. We would always have a good time and we would oftenlaugh. It was nice seeing her smile. She always had something cooked for me to eat and would always have a carepackage for me to take home. She would always include a couple of toys for my dogs. She was always sothoughtful. Valerie is the first person that I loved that has died. I often wondered how people dealt with the death of aloved one and now I have first hand experience. I don't wishthat kind of pain on my worst enemy.Over the years I have met many families that have a CotonnelleCoton. I had the hard task of phoning some of them within thelast two months to tell them of Valerie's tragic accident. A dogbreeder often becomes friends with the families that adopt theirpuppies and this was the case with Valerie. She will be missedby all the families that had the opportunity to welcome aCotonnelle puppy or two into their family. Valerie workedtirelessly to better the breed in the past 14 years that she bredthese adorable bundles of joy. Her hard work paid off. Shewas a fierce competitor in the Show Ring and often won. Sheregretted not being able to show her dogs in the last couple ofyears due to health issues and some personal problems. My lastconversation with Valerie was on Friday October 28th. Shewas in an upbeat mood and we had made plans to get togetherfor a Greek dinner to discuss our breeding program.I still reach for the phone to tell Val something I hear thatwould interest her. It's what best friends do. We had so manythings in common. She was an amazing woman. I will neverforget her.Joanne Mouryas

Valerie Ford (centre) at a show in Florida.CCTC member Bev Kohler at right.At left: Coconutof CotonnelleA lovely Cotonnelle puppy bred by Valerie FordFor more remembrances of Valerie, see alsohttp://valeriefordofcotonnelle.blogspot.com/Caesar of Cotonnelle

Mini‐Pocket‐PeanutSubmitted by Marie‐France PrayalMini‐Pocket‐Peanut born on November 6th with his 3brothers and 2 sisters was totally fine and weighed‐in thesame as his siblings. But, quickly, we could see there wassomething different with this little one, he stopped gainingweight. I was very careful to give him extra time nursingwith his Mom. He was nursing correctly, happy and active.The vet checked and found nothing wrong with him,except a small heart murmur.One day, I decided to offer him a meat ration forsmall dogs. It was a revelation and the same day hegained a good 20 grams! So, now our routine is 3times a day, he comes to the kitchen, cleans up hislittle bowl and after, we take the time to have a niceconversation together and a big hug. He knows thisroutine very well and if I forget about him or pass hislunch time, he lets me know!ABOVE: Mini-Pocket-Peanut at meal time.“Big Peanut” having a restAt 6 weeks and a whopping big 520 grams, he is actually half size of his brothers and sisters but full of life andlove! His new name; Big Peanut!

Hallowe’en Jack-o-Lantern MagicThis is truly amazing! Linda Brookes used a photo of her beautiful Coton, Griffin, as the model for herHallowe’en “Coton-o-Lantern” (my terminology, not Linda’s!). What wonderful creativity. Maybe nextyear we could have a Coton pumpkin carving contest (Just kidding!).Chris Wasylishyn, Newsletter EditorPhoto Contest FeedbackAfter the photo contest with results in the September newsletter, I asked for feedback from members. I onlyhad a few responses, but all were positive, indicating they had enjoyed the contest and were interested inparticipating in future contests. One person did mention that if they are too frequent, they might lose theirappeal.Suggestions for prizes included gift cards for stores common across the country and easily mailed, giftcertificates for online stores, CCTC memberships, and one member even offered to donate a new book onCotons!Suggestions for themes included best outfit/costume related to a season or occasion such as Halloween, bestseasonal photo, dirtiest dog, dog, owner look-alike, puppies, snow, sleepy Cotons, or activities such asagility.Other suggestions included having members vote for the winner and having a children’s drawing contest.Thanks to those who responded with such great ideas. Additional suggestions always welcome.Chris Wasylishyn, Newsletter Editor

What’s Wrong with this Picture?Submitted by Marie-France PrayalI have a very interesting picture.IT is Find the mistake... Here isthe story: we have Adora, a PolishLowland Sheepdog who had 10 puppiesand she is still nursing them. Shewas in the kitchen. I put 5 puppies,6 weeks old in the same kitchen,first time they were there, firsttime they met Adora. Guess whathappened? One came directly to Adoratrying to nurse... Adora, noproblem, and the little one, what atreat!I attached to this message the proofof my story…LEFT: Adora, the Polish LowlandSheepdog nurses a 6 week old Coton.At Left: Photo of Tango’s birthday party which for“technical difficulty” reasons was not published in theSeptember 2011 issue of the Coton Malgache.Bambino of Polanawith newborn puppyReminderMembership Renewals are Due January 31, 2012This year the Board will enforce the increased fee for any late registrations!Please send renewal forms and cheques to:Linda Brookes, CCTC Secretary2 Nevis Ridge Drive, RR #2,Hawkestone, ONLOL 1T0

A Show StoryBy Diane BenarochI will never forget the first time that I attended a dog show with my sevenmonth old Coton de Tulear puppy—Vega, my pride and joy! We hadpreviously attended puppy classes, followed by conformation classes attendedreligiously. I had read show magazines, watched the "Best in Show" movie acouple of times, but never with the intention of showing my own dog!Walking into the show facility with my husband leading the way, beautifuldogs of all breeds were coming and going from the building. Their ownerswere focused, looking very serious and busy. I held my precious little girltightly under my arm with no real idea of what was going to unfold. I felt likeit was my first day at kindergarten, but all that mattered is that I wanted to do this!We found a corner in the huge building, away from a door and near the bathrooms! My whole body felt tight and Iworried that my dog would sense my nervousness about this new event. I brought most all of my grooming tools, not tomention pads, blankets, and bottled water enough for an elephant in the Sahara. I brought toys and the “pee pee” litterbox. That in itself was a huge endeavor-- first, the plastic on the floor, then the box and then the litter. Of course myVega thought that the wood shavings were the greatest things to throw around. Did I bring a broom? Well of course,along with a few chairs for my husband and myself, knowing that I would probably never sit in it, but, we might have afew friends dropping by to give us support.As the clock is advancing, my heart is beating a little harder. Vega is lying on the grooming table like a princess. All ofmy grooming tools are around me – so much stuff that I don't know where to put it. Grooming my girl is a normal partof my day, but at this first show, boy I became clumsy!!! Of course, the usual conditioner is not working as well in thisbuilding…should have thought about that and I am now fighting "static electricity" - well that is all we need!!!While I was 100% sure that I was not going to see any other Cotons in this huge building, I was still hoping for amiracle. (Later on I learned about the "judges' schedule" which would have told me exactly which and how many dogswere in each group. Oh, silly me!) After asking at least 4 people where my ring was, I walked by Number 1, takingdeep breaths while trying to envision my little girl walking straight and happy, smiling for the judge and being the bestlooking little Coton he would ever see in his whole career! This is where it was all going to unfold: little white fencesaround the ring, carpet runners and a table for gifts, along with a table for the examination of my dog.We did our class alone as the only entered Coton de Tulear. The judge then told me to come forward and handed me"THE RIBBON". Well my gosh. I started crying with emotion! We had done it, and now one little blue ribbon all of asudden becomes the end of our world. My darling girl is "something" and has been "shown," and next, we have "TheGroup at 3 o'clock". OH MY! That means that we will be among all the best dogs of the entire Toy Group. Reality issetting in….By that time my husband and I were hungry since we had left the house quite early. So Vega goes on the leash as wego to grab a light snack. No hot dogs for me as these were "my bait" for Vega! (Oh boy, I am also learning a newlingo!) Now I have time to relax and watch all that is going on around us. Poodles standing on their individual tablesgetting so much specialized grooming. Little dogs, bigger dogs, and so many breeds I had not seen before. As I goaround with my girl, we stop and chitchat with different dogs' owners. Everybody is nice. I see so many new combs,scissors, shampoos-- products of all sorts, and I am thinking "I just HAVE to try that stuff on my baby”…especially afterwatching the Maltese & Bichon ladies who are true experts in keeping their dogs so white. Many breeders ask, "Whatkind of dog is this?" “Can I touch your dog?” How precious to tell them a little bit about the history of our Cotons alongwith their wonderful attributes.The Group competition was very professional and as a “newbie”, I was not quite sure about distances and protocol. Butmy girl was well behaved and did not seem to mind the other, unfamiliar dogs behind us. When the four best dogs inthe group were chosen, it was a relief. We did not make the top four– but my gosh we had done something more: we

had chosen to try, we had faced the odds, and we had done our best. Not to mention, I had surmounted my fear ofbeing judged! I felt so proud and kisses and hugs for my Vega did not stop coming at her! Vega looked at me saying "Iwas good, wasn't I Mom?"Now I go to the shows with my family of four Cotons, including Vega's daughter. Three of them are champions and I amso proud of each one. Each of my dogs has ‘their own little story’ which will always hold wonderful memories. I am juststarting my youngest female, and the pride continues.Ranging in size from small to huge, the shows in Canada are very special and I would personally like to invite you toattend. At the end of October I will be attending the largest show in Canada, held every year at Tradex, just minutesfrom the border in British Columbia. Judges will be coming from around the world and this year we are having aNational Supported Entry with 10 Cotons registered. I hope there will be more next year!One thing that all dog shows have in common is the opportunity to promote our breed with pride and passion. We canmeet and interact with other breeders, get new information, and learn ways that will help us become better owners andbreeders ourselves. For me, it is devoting 3 or 4 days to being with my dogs and pampering them with my fullattention. And they love it. So don’t miss the fun and come to a show!Diane BenarochCotonfield Coton de TuearAbbotsford, B.C., Canada*Note: It is no longer necessary to have a Canadian Kennel Club registration in order to show your Coton in Canada.The CKC offers an Event Registration Number (ERN) to foreign-born dogs that can be used in lieu of a CKC registrationnumber. For more information go to www.ckc.ca.Diane with a later success in the show ring.Here she is with Keano, winner of Best of Breed.

Ch Dream du Domaine de PolanaSubmitted by Marie‐France PrayalOur big adventure in the ring started 3 years ago. We traveled a lot and visited many places in theMaritimes, in Quebec and even in Europe. Dream did more than well, winning Best Puppy in Show, 3 CotonsSpecialties, many group placements and a very exciting 4 th place in his class at the World Dog Show in Parislast summer.Our goal, for this year, was to win a Best in Show with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). That’s a bigchallenge for a Coton. Dream was often alone in his group and pitted against many well‐known dogs andprofessional handlers.Just a few more shows before the end of the year and no Best in Show yet. In August, we went to CapeBreton for a 4 show weekend. For the first morning show, the judge is Mr. McIntyre from New Brunswick.He seems to really like Dream and he gives to him Group 1. In the afternoon, again, Group 1 with anotherjudge and here we are for the Best in Show under Mr. McIntyre. I looked at the other dogs and as usual,there were many professional handlers with their top dogs in the country. But, again, we’ll try, Dream and

me, to do our best. Mr. McIntyre takes his time to examine Dream on the table. We do a great job, walkingaround the ring. Now, we are all ready for the final decision. Mr. McIntyre takes his time, looking at everydog. He goes to the ring table and comes back with the big ribbon and…. YES! He pointed at Dream!!!!!!!What a feeling! Dream, you are the best, the best companion, the best traveler, the most charming tableCoton in the world, the…. Ok, you understand that Dream is really a special Coton for me.With his show career behind him, he is now enjoying taking long walks with me, going for a drive and playingwith his Coton & PON friends. Thank you Dream for these 3 years full of adventures and excitement, and avery special thank also Lary, my dear husband, for taking care of the four‐footed furry bunch while we wereliving the “dream”!

More Dog Show AwardsABOVE: Linda Brookes with her Coton de Tulear, Griffin, who won Best in Show at UKC Multi-Breed Showin Cinnicnati, Ohio in December.CONGRATULATIONS, Linda and Griffin!At Left:Linda Brookes with GriffinAs he is awardedBEST IN SHOWAt the Canine Federation of Canada (CFC)Show held in QuebecThe same weekend as the Specialty

At Left:Not quite show-ready, LindaBrookes’ two girls, Cassi andAthena, having a great timeplaying in the bog of theirpond.Lake Country CotonsHaving fun opening presents…Must be something tasty inside!Submitted by Thais Frook

About Us….Page 14Denis Carriere founded the Coton Malgache Publication in 1994 so that breedfanciers might share their mutual interest. The club’s aim is to support, educateand 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 thebreeding and prosperity of these lovely animals, protecting and preserving thequalities 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 do not hesitateto send photos of, and articles about your Cotons.Deadline for theMarch 2012 Coton Malgache isMarch 3, 2012.Advertising RatesCoton MalgacheColour B/W1/4 page ……. $35 $20Please send all submissions for the Coton Malgache to:Email: chriswasy@shaw.caSubscriptions to the Coton Malgache are included with a CCTC membership.Make your cheque or money order payable to CCTC. Fees for US and overseassubscribers are payable in US funds.The CCTC is a Canadian non-profit organizat.ion .1/2 page ……. $60 $40Full page ….. $120 $80Business card $15 $10Ads may be submitted as camera ready or in draft.Draft text must be clearly typed.Photos should be clear and in sharp contrast to ensurequality reproduction.Cheques should be made payable to the CCTC.www.coton.caAdvertising 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 DirectoryMembers OnlyLitter Announcements$15 per litter for 3 months$10 per ad for one older dog*Contact Marie-France Prayalpolana@ns.sympatico.ca Tel. 902-757-0826The opinions expressed in the Coton Malgache are those of the authors and do notnecessarily reflect those of the publisher.The articles in the Coton Malgache belong to their authors and cannot be reproducedeither in whole or in part in any form without written permission of the author.CCTC ExecutivePresident: Barb CanduroEmail: tissacs@hotmail.com 705-743-4862Vice-President - Joanne MouryasEmail: payzackennel@hotmail.com 416-282-9253Secretary: Linda BrookesEmail: shoes.and.dog@hotmail.com (705) 487-5426Treasurer & Eastern Director: Marie-France PrayalEmail: polana@ns.sympatico.ca 902-757-0826Quebec Director: Position currently vacantOntario Director: Barbara FennEmail: barbfenn@rogers.com 416-483-0780Western Director: Diane BenarochEmail: Benaroch@telus.net 604-856-6627Newsletter Editor: Chris WasylishynEmail: chriswasy@shaw.ca 604-876-7106