The Coton de Tulear is a rare, ancient purebred that hails from the country of Madagascar.  The breed's history  is poorly documented, however many reports claim that the Coton's ancestors  were once  companions to sailors traveling the eastern coast of Africa.  Speculation is one of these ships wrecked off the coast of Madagascar and the sailor's hardy little companions swam to shore.  The surviving dogs bred with the native dogs on the Island, thus creating the beautiful, intelligent breed we know as the Coton de Tulear.  These little white dogs soon became favorites of Madagascar's royalty. In fact, enamored of the Coton,  the Merina nobles soon enacted laws that  prohibited anyone but those of the ruling "caste" from owning a Coton.  This action is what prompted the Coton to become what is known as the "Royal Dog of  Madagascar". Today, the Coton is still rare in it's homeland, but is rapidly becoming very popular in both Europe and the United States because of it's loving, affectionate personality.
 

Here in the U.S., the Coton is called the anti-Stress dog, with people from all walks of life enjoying their companionship.