Hearts Of Joy™ Cotons
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Availability
Ivy and Mo (both bred to Teddy) are both due to deliver babies in early May, with pups ready to go in early July. To reserve a pup, you’ll need to fill our our puppy contract and send a deposit. 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. Our pups sell for $3000 – $4000.
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 our girl Mo – and we will be adding our beautiful girl, Primrose to the breeding program this fall, when she comes of age.
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 has gone to visit her once a week since he was 10 weeks old, and he knows when that day comes each time! He LOVES getting a good brushing and jumping in the car to go see his Bari 🙂
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. Some are 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! My husband, Douglas and I 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, two in high school, and one 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
Download & View Contract
Testimonials:
“Hi Christine!
Wow! Sophie is already 13 weeks now and is everything I had hoped for and more in a Coton de Tulear. She is about 7 lbs now, I will get her weight at her 2nd vet appointment this coming Tuesday. She has been sleeping through the night in her crate since day 3 and is about 98% potty trained. She is incredibly smart and curious about everything! Her gorgeous coat is changing color everyday and she loves to be fussed over and have her tears cleaned and coat combed out.
I met with Eva the trainer at my house and Sophie made her look like a rock star! Sophie will do anything for a yummy treat. I was going to do 5 sessions with Eva but cost wise it’s a bit cheaper to take a group class out at Thousand Hills Pet Resort and both Sophie and I could benefit from getting out and socializing with other pups and people, so we start basic puppy classes this coming Monday. If I start to have issues at home I will definitely call Eva back, she is a very good trainer.
Sophie took to walking on leash very naturally.
She is very self confident and walks down the sidewalk with a real business purpose, so funny! Yet she is a real cuddle bug and likes to be held and snuggle when she runs out of gas. She has been retrieving and playing fetch since I brought her home and loves her squeaky pink giraffe the most. I say give, and she will drop it!
She is of course teething and we will both be glad when that’s over!
She is also a little thief! she takes every opportunity she can when I’m doing dishes to steal my socks or clothes! sometimes I forget to shut laundry room (it’s puppy proof) but she knows she hit the lottery of clothes stealing in there and is very quick to drag her stash to her bed and look so satisfied 
She’s extremely sensitive to my feelings and so comforting when I’m feeling tired or have a touch of the blues. I see why they are called the “anti depressant breed” it’s hard to be down with her happy personality.
Everywhere I go people ask what breed she is and that she’s sooo fluffy! When I tell them, they shake their heads and say, I have no idea what that is. So my Coton de Tulear story begins and it takes me 30 extra minutes to get where I was going! 
Anyway, Sophie is the most delightful little companion and my grandkids and I love her so much! She especially likes it when my 4 year old grandson reads books to her, she falls asleep listening 
Thank you again for such a wonderful little pup!
Sophie & Annabel
3 month photos!”
Joyful Song Farms 