Introducing the Coton de Tulear into Australia and beginning our breeding program has been a challenging and rewarding experience. My vet. Belinda from Helping Paws told me: “you’re a born puppy mum”. I do love my new vocation, breeding and playing with my puppies. It’s very hard to say “goodbye” but I love catching up with my babies and their new families.

We bought our first Coton, Gypsy, 2008, whilst living in Singapore, in a 3-bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor, from a very famous Italian breeder, Eli De Luca of Cotonbrie. Our special girl captured our hearts filling our lives with love and laughter, winning us over with her playful, charming, funny, gentle, caring, protective and highly friendly nature winning hearts where-ever she went.

To begin our breeding program, we had to import dogs from overseas, which is challenging, and although Australian Quarantine doesn’t require DNA testing for genetic faults, we had all our dogs tested to ensure they weren’t diseased.

Today, I am a registered breeder with my local council and the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC) state body, Dogs Queensland. I breed quality pure bred Coton de Tulears, in accordance with best breeding practices as set-out by the ANKC, governed through Dogs QLD. My official registered ANKC breeder’s prefix is Cotonrun. Further, all my dogs are registered with both my Local Council and Dogs Qld. My Local Council inspect the health and care of my dogs regularly and Dogs Qld register litters and monitors member breeding practices.

I have a purchase contract with my puppies’ families outlining all their new puppy’s details, its pedigree, breeder’s warranty and responsibilities and the new owner’s responsibilities, to ensure the care and welfare of my puppies, once they go to their families.

My priority is on breeding and developing healthy happy well socialised puppies who are equipped with the skills and outgoing nature to easily settle with their new families. I’m constantly educating myself and looking at what more I can do to ensure best breeding practice for the well-being of my breeding dogs and their puppies.

Our family now includes our imported dogs Jasper, Luna, Mille Fleur, Ragamuffin, Quantana and Honey from our Hungarian breeders Ferenc and Barbara Remenyi of Carbonebianco Kennel, winners of the International Best Breeders award. Their breeding lines include dogs from the famous Spanish, now-retired, breeder Monique (Mickey) Maes of Woodland Cottage Kennels and breed with lines like Eli De Lucia’s Cotonbrie. Ferenc and Barbara are working to save old lines, such as Woodland Cottage, at risk of being lost as breeders retire. Further they were granted permission to buy Adam directly from Madagascar.

We have kept two puppies from our own litters Phryne 2016 and Venus 2017.

Cotonrun has been built on the expertise and responsible hard work of very knowledgeable reputable breeders and we are very grateful for the faith they have in us and Ferenc’s encouragement and feedback from what FCI judges who have judged our puppies are saying about Cotonrun dogs: “Hi Dear Michelle! From another channels I’m get the info…lot of people in fever of the Coton de Tulear Breed…in Australia. Thanks for this FOR YOU!!!!”

From our initial decision to introduce this breed into Australia it took 3-years to have the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC) recognise the breed, meet Local Council infra-structure requirements and celebrate the births of our first 2 litters in 2016.