The Coton de Tuléar is the official dog of Madagascar. The Coton's ancestors were thought to have been brought to Madagascar in the 16th century by sailors from Spain and Portugal and is named after the port city of Tuléar which is currently known as Toliara. The Coton is believed to be related to the Bichon family of dogs, perhaps linked most closely to the Bichon Tenerife. The now-extinct Tenerife was introduced to the Islands of Mauritius and Reunion by sailors in the 16th and 17th centuries. The breed then acquired its cottony coat which is thought to be the result of a single gene mutation. Known then as the Coton de Reunion, they became the companions of pirates, merchants, and noblemen in travel. This small, friendly dog caught the fancy of the Merina royalty, and was bred into what is known today as the Coton de Tuléar.
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