Hearts Of Joy™ Cotons
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Availability
All of our Spring 2023 pups have found their forever homes 🙂
We are already compiling a waitlist for our possible litters coming in the Fall and Winter of 2023. The first litter could be ready to go to their new homes in October, and will be with Teddy and Ivy. The second litter will be with Teddy and our girl Mo – her first litter! These pups should be ready right around Christmas! Contact us for further info.**
We are Code of Ethics Breeders, with the American Coton Club. You can find us as listed breeders on the ACC breeder page.
One of our Spring ’23 pups – a beautiful mink boy 🙂
About the breed
Coton De Tuléar: The Royal Dog of Madagascar
The Coton de Tuléar, or “Coton” for short, is a wonderful companion. They make an excellent choice for families with children and are the perfect addition to the family. They bond to humans quickly and become extremely devoted and affectionate making an excellent loving companion. The Coton de Tuléar can be quite intuitive and is often used as an emotional support dog in therapy programs, helping those with special needs. They are sturdy and fast making them great in agility which is fun for the Coton and its owner.
Cotons were bred and developed for the purpose of being a loyal loving companion dog as well as being an excellent watchdog who will happily alert you to the arrival of visitors. They are well suited as loving companions because of their happy personalities, adaptable character, loving nature, intelligence, entertaining mannerisms and overall cuteness. Cotons tend to adapt to the lifestyle of their family which make them a wonderful pet for a broad spectrum of people. They are happy couch potatoes or thrilled to take a long hike in the mountains with you. Just let them know and they will happily follow.
Cotons have been referred to as the “anti-depressant” breed because of their general happiness and abilities to cheer their humans with their smile, playful antics, and general empathetic personality. Cotons are generally a cheerful breed that with encouragement are able to adapt to most anything that comes their way. Cotons are a relatively healthy breed and look forward to living a life of 15+ years.
Cotons are very smart and aim to please their owners. When given verbal praise and the occasional yummy treat, they catch on quickly to training and new commands. They are always up for a new challenge. Many Coton de Tuléar do very well in the show ring with their lovely long coat flowing as they walk around the ring and most Cotons love the attention from people and judges.
The Cotons de Tuléar derive their name from their beautiful long cottony coats and from their original Bay of Tuléar location on the island of Madagascar. The beautiful Coton de Tuléar coat actually has a dual purpose of providing excellent insulation from both heat and cold. The cottony coat is airy and fluffy allowing for air to circulate creating a cooling effect in Summer and an extra layer of warmth in Winter. A Coton in full coat requires daily care but it’s also possible to keep them in a somewhat shorter “puppy cut” for easier maintenance.
In the various Show/Fancy Standards such as European Federation Cynologique International (FCI), American Kennel Club (AKC), & United Kennel Club (UKC) Show Standards, Coton coat color has been bred to be predominantly white in order to win in the show ring but Cotons do have color in their genetic heritage. This intentional elimination of native color works only to the detriment of the genetic diversity and health of the breed as evidenced by current genetic research!
Traditionally bred Coton markings can be black, fawn, champagne, cinnamon, or a tri-color combination. Coton de Tuléar also possess a strong color dilution gene which means coat color will often fade to the appearance of white in the case of Tricolor and Black & White Cotons as a Coton matures though champagne on the ears will often be retained… It’s not uncommon to see a white adult Coton which was very dark in color as a small puppy.
The Coton de Tuléar coat does not shed, thus they are regarded as being hypo-allergenic making them an excellent choice for those who may suffer from dog allergies.
Once you are loved by a Coton, there is no turning back from this charming creature which brings great joy and happiness to your life and will warm your heart for many years to come. (American Coton Club)
Our Story
Bethia and I are a mother-daughter team, raising these wonderful dogs together! We found the breed, after a traumatic event happened, where Bethia’s wonderful little mixed breed dog had been hit by a car and killed. I knew how much her dog had helped her, as an emotional support dog, and I really wanted to find her another little dog to fill that role.
We looked at soooo many breeds, but never could find just the right breed for us, until one day, we found this breed called the Coton De Tulear.
Neither of us had ever heard of this breed, and the more we read about them, the more we knew that they were the exact breed of dog we were looking for! We began talking to breeders in California, and soon came home with our first little puppy, Ivy! She has been a joy to own, and is Bethia’s very special doggy friend! We have a beautiful black male, Teddy, who is making some gorgeous babies with Ivy – and will be adding 2 sweet new girls to our breeding program this year and next, once they are of age, and pass the health tests – Cloud Monet (Mo) and Primrose!
Teddy is a very special boy, he has had training to be an emotional support dog to our dear friend – who has some disabilities. Teddy will be going to live with her and be her companion – coming back here to visit with Ivy, Mo and Primrose during breeding times 🙂
The temperament of this breed is pretty incredible! We have puppies from each of our litters, who are being used and trained as emotional support dogs, both for their owners and for the local community. One is being taken around to local hospitals to visit with patients, and another goes daily to hang at a local gym for children with sensory challenges and disabilities. We love this breed, and think that you will too!
Our family lives on the Central Coast of California, out in the beautiful rural countryside. This land has been in our family for generations, and we have been blessed to be able to live here, raising our families together on this big family ranch. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters all live out here! We have a small farm, where we are working to raise/grow most of our food, raising Dexter cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, pigs and one duck, and have done homeschool all the way with our 4 daughters. We have one daughter in college, one in high school, and two in jr. high. We are working and learning to raise all of our critters in a holistic way, using the wonderful things that God created to keep them healthy and strong!
Contact
Christine Navolt
Phone: (805)801-9872
Email: joyfulsongfarms@gmail.com
Gallery
Ivy 
Ivy 
Ivy Helmvine Cotons Ivy 
Grapevine Coton’s Teddy – We love this sweet boy! This pic is from when we first brought him home. 
Ivy 
Ivy’s babies are growing bigger each day – their little noses are starting to turn black! Nov. 2021 
Little girl pup from Teddy and Ivy’s first litter together
Joyful Song Farms 