More About Cotons

We receive notifications from PetFinder when new Cotons are rescued and put up for adoption. On one of the newest entries, the Rescue Organization posted some new information about the Coton de Tulear. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share more about this remarkable little dog with you all:

"Bichon dogs from Tenerife were brought to Madagascar and nearby islands on trade ships, probably before the 17th century. From these original imports came the Colon de Reunion, an extinct breed once known on Reunion Island. The descendants of the Coton de Reunion became established near the city of Tulear, Madagascar, and developed into the breed known as the Coton de Tulear.

The Coton (French for cotton) became a favorite of the merina, the French nobility on the island during the colonial days. In fact, prior to the 20th century, it was considered criminal for a commoner to own a Coton. This canine social climber soon took on the title of the 'Dog of Royalty' and, even today, only socially prominent Malagasy own a Tulear.


This breed is devoted to its masters, wanting always to be in their presence and trying its best to please. Because of these traits, the Coton requires little in the way of discipline to create a fine companion. He is a dog only for a house pet, as he is so happy and friendly that he will not defend himself. Like the other bichon dogs,-however, he is alert and intelligent and will inform his master of unusual events. As long as he is primarily a house dog, he adapts well to almost any environment or climate. The breed is healthy and vigorous despite its small size, and requires only a bit of regular brushing to keep it handsome. One of their most endearing traits is a tendency to jump and walk on their hind legs.

Like the other bichons, the hair needs regular grooming to keep the dogs looking their cuddly best. Shedding on all the bichons is minimal and an advantage to allergic owners. The Coton's expression is ''enquiring and adoring.'

They achieved FCI recognition in 1970 and are being fostered by the Coton de Tulear Club of America. They are still rare throughout the world."

A New Leash on Life, Olmsted Falls, OH

They have a website if you want to take a look. And of course PetFinder is all about rescue, so I'd encourage you to check there and of course, here on Dogster if you are looking for a forever friend to adopt and love. Shalom to you all this holiday season.

LUMPS & BUMPS CAN BE DEADLY... PLEASE BE VIGILANT!

The week before last I'd taken our dog, Princess Pickachu, to the Vet to have him look at a small lump that just showed up her neck area (in the same general area as our collar bone.) Due to another friend's experience with her dog, I didn't waste anytime taking Princess to the Vet and he said he was glad that I hadn't waited.

The Vet sent the biopsy to the lab in Jacksonville and on Tuesday (3/25/2008) of last week he called to tell us he had received the results from the lab. They determined that Princess had a Type 1 mast cell tumor, which would require a much larger tissue sample than the one sent the week before last. In fact the Vet said he would need to take a square inch of tissue from around the original sample!!!

It has scared our horses pretty good, I have to say...

We were also told that if the lab finds any abnormal cells at the edges of the second tissue sample, that Princess will have to have chemo or radiation therapy!

Our vet performed the surgery Wednesday (3/26/2008) and we had a very miserable little girl on our hands for a few days. Princess reacted badly to some drug concoction they had given her to help with the pain and to keep her calm.

The pain seemed to be in check, sort of, but staying calm was out of the question. I know very little about drugs, but it seemed to make her manic... she never stopped moving... she would sit down in exhaustion, but within a few minutes she would bolt up and run a short distance as if she was trying to run away from herself and the pain... My husband thought she was acting like she was on speed...

She finally seemed more like herself by Saturday and the horrendous looking place on her neck has been healing nicely. I will take her in this week Friday (4/4/2008) to get the stitches out and hopefully the lab results will be ready then as well...

So the morale of this diary entry is: PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK YOUR PETS SKIN REGULARY FOR LUMPS AND BUMPS THAT JUST SEEM TO APPEAR!

THEN DON'T DELAY... TAKE YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE FRIEND TO THE VET AND HAVE IT CHECKED OUT...

It could make the difference between several more years of love and companionship with your little furry friend and a life over much too soon and in misery.

Peace to all from Princess Pickachu and her human pack who adore her. :o)

Mum Sharing Info About Pet Partners & Pine Ridge Children- Sponsorship

My Mum was asked to share information about two organizations close to her heart, Delta Society Certified Pet Partners Program and the Pine Ridge Children Sponsorship Program. The event was called "The Gathering" and it was to help the American Indian Ministries in Michigan restore an old Catholic Church donated to them by the Michigan Catholic Dioceses. The weekend was set up with speakers that provided information about ways people could improve their communittee through various volunteer efforts and organizations.

I was supposed to go along with my Mum to demonstrate some of the basic obedience and social skills a dog, cat, or other domestic animal must have in order for them to become Pet Partners and work in various Pet Assisted Activities in their area.

But when Mum found out the drive from home to Michigan was 1100 miles!!!! Well she decided to fly and I'm not used to my air carrier at all. Mum thought I'd be better off looking after my other three family members, my Dad, their son, and my cat, Milo. (I love to call him my cat, it bugs the puddin' out of him... :o)

Mum and I just became certified with an affiliate of Delta Society organization called R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assisted by Dogs). We thought this would be a very good thing to get involved in not only in the area we live in, but also at Pine Ridge Lakota Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Pine Ridge is the largest Indian Reservation in the US and it is also the poorest. Alcoholism and drug use are rampant. Many children suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which includes learning disabilities. We are hoping that through our involvement in Child S ponsorship (my Mum is a Sponsorship coordinator) that we may not only help children with the very basic needs of food and clothing, but also introduce the R.E.A.D. Program to some of the reservation schools. As most everyone knows, reading is the key that unlocks the world for many children... that without the ability to read life offers little hope for ever improving and breaking out of the destructive cycles that now are causing many Native American tribes to implode on themselves.

Oh and just this week my Mum and I were informed of another door that has just been opened to certified Pet Partners in this area of the country! The county court system is now allowing Pet Partners to come to the courthouse and spend time with children, in particular, that are called to testify regarding some crime they were victimized by or observed. We pets tend to ease a child's anxiety and get their minds off of the ordeal coming up. We are also to stay if possible to further comfort the child after they have testified. It requires additional training, but my Mum and I see this as another excellent opportunity to introduce people to the "healing power of pets."

On Pine Ridge where poverty and unemployment is staggering there is a lot of domestc violence that occurs daily. Again the Pet Partner Program can offer much needed calm and quiet acceptance of these children; especially if they must testify against their own parents.

So to all the pet owners and pet lovers out there, know that you are blessed to have us in your lives. And if you treat us with kindness and respect we will pay you back with interest a million-fold.

This is Princess Pickachu sending all kisses and tail wags of love and greetings. Cheers! :o)

ComForT Pet Therapy Team Visit

Well, little Princess Pickachu and I had a great day Saturday. We had signed up to visit Harbor Chase an assisted living facility for the elderly and/or disabled.

There were over 40 residents in the reception area and 8 Delta Society Therapy Pet teams. We had a ball!

Most everyone wanted to pet all the dogs and they loved to tell you about their pets when they were younger. Some seemed actually afraid yet fascinated at the same time. So if someone said they didn't like dogs it's always respected. One little lady would head for her wheel chair from the sofa she sat on whenever any of the therapy teams made their way over to her. I noticed what she was doing so I asked her if she just wanted to see Princess do some tricks. She shook her head no but the ladies next to her said they did. So we went through our little battery of tricks and I made sure that we weren't directly facing the frightened little lady. By the time Princess had completed her performance the lady had moved back to the sofa, had a little smile on her face, and had even moved to the end of the sofa closest to Princess so she could see. I just smiled back at her and we moved on. I really felt like we had accomplished a good thing.

One of the funniest incidents was with this adorable older couple sitting on another of the couches. The lady had a long boa on that almost looked like real fur. Princess found that piece of apparrel very interesting, so I finally had to turn her around so they could pet her in peace.

At any rate, what was so funny was the little lady introduced the gentleman with her as her father! She said she had just visited with her mother and now she was here with her father. She stroked his cheek and said, "Isn't he the most handsome man in the whole world?" I told her that he definitely was! The little man actually blushed... he said, "Well, what does one say to that?" And I told him, "You say 'Thank You'!" By then Princess and I were extraneous to their world, they had each other and obviously took a great deal of pleasure in being together. I'm sure they were husband and wife and the wife's memory was a bit wonky, but he was kind patient and tolerant with her... It was very evident that they loved each other.

Oh that we should all be blessed with such a companionable situation in old age!!!

We only stayed 45 minutes. It gets hot really fast in a room with that many people and dogs. Everyone was tired when we left... we were, our dogs were, the residents were, and the caretakers as well. It was wonderful!

It Didn't Work Out-Our Hearts Are Broken...

We had to take Ginny back to Montgomery yesterday...

Princess had spent two weeks with Ginny in Montgomery while we were on vacation. We were hoping that she and Princess would rebond and that Ginny's transition from her home of 10 years to ours would be a bit easier for her. Mr Tom had said they had spent the time sleeping together and playing. We were so thrilled!

We picked them both up on July 1st. Mr. Tom had anticipated that the transition would be difficult for Ginny, she is devoted to him. He gave us a perscription for tranquilizers to give Ginny daily to help her through the adjustments.

However, the tranquilizers seemed to be having little effect on Ginny other than increasing her need to drink water and consequently to wee... everywhere... anywhere...

On Monday I worked from home, trying to help precious Ginny out... well by letting her go outside almost every 15 - 20 minutes. It helped some but she still was having problems. Not only that but she was so hyper all the time... she seemed happy enough, she just couldn't seem to settle comfortably anywhere.

Then the knock-down drag-out fights began between Ginny, who had been the alpha female in her home for 10 years, and Princess who had been the alpha female of her own home/our home for over a year...

It was always hard to say who started the fights or even what triggered them... although most happened in or near a doorway. The first fight left Ginny and I bleeding. I didn't know how or what to do when they all of a sudden started, what sounded like, a fight to the death... It took my husband to get them apart... they had a grip on each other that would not loosen on its own...

When we saw all the blood on Ginny's beautiful little face around her left eye, we were terrified that she had a severe eye injury. Princess, other than being extremely upset, seemed to come out of the fight unscathed. So we rushed Ginny to the emergency pet hospital in our area.

Thank the Lord, only a small piece of her lower eye- lid had been knicked. A few days of ointment and TLC made the eye almost good as new... except that the Vet had to trim the fur away from her left eye so he loverly fur only covered her right eye. She looked a little bit like a pirate... but still beautiful.

They had at least one other serious fight during the week, but by Saturday things had escalated considerably. There short periods of truce became shorter. On Saturday Ginny and Princess had had three vicious fights. Both dogs were knicked up a bit but nothing like the eye incident, although in truth we were afraid that it, or something worse was about to happen.

As we had for 3 nights, we kept them apart with my husband keeping Ginny close in one room and I would keep Princess close in another... Their fights on the bed were disconcerting to say the least, so we just slept in separate rooms... Our lives revolved around keeping the two of them from trying to kill each other and the rift between mother and daughter seemed to widden.

Princess, who is normally Ms Cool and Laid Back was a paranoid mess. Ginny was even more hyper and marking everything she could get to... she even tried to wee on Princess, which went over like a hill of beans....

Late Saturday evening my husband said we had to take Ginny back to Montgomery... it just wasn't working out... I cried all night long and my husband didn't sleep a wink either... You see we had both been looking forwarded to having Ginny with us. It was 3 months of excited anticipation. So when we picked she and Princess up it was love at first sight.

My husband had never had a dog of his own as a child and Ginny attached herself to my husband like glue right from the start... It was probably a combination of her devotion for Mr Tom spilling over to another male figure and the fact that she could tell my husband is a patient and loving pet person... you can ask our cats!

Ginny loved me too as did I her. However, Princess is my girl and she was very possessive of my attention and time. I didn't mind because the last thing I wanted to do was to let Princess feel less loved just because her Mum was here with us...

But it was all for naught... And because we loved both of the girls so much we felt it best for Ginny, Princess, and us that Ginny return to the person she was most comfortable with and completely devoted to... Mr Tom.

Yesterday was one of the hardest days ever for both my husband and me... I can't seem to stop crying... but hopefully it was the right decision for everyone concerned...

Our little Princess is still a bit paranoid, but she seems to be calming down gradually. I'm going to check with Mr Tom to make sure Ginny is O.K as well... We pray so... it's easy to see why our little Princess Pickachu is such a precious treasure, her Mum is one as well.

I Was An Artist's Model!

My human Mum loves artist teddy bears. It's one of the things I like about her really... How can a human be mean while hugging a Teddy Bear for goodness sake!?!? :o)

Anyway my Mum contacted the artist, Donna Hagar, so that she could purchase the cutest little Teddy Bear named Zoey. When Zoey arrived in the mail I just had to welcome him with a sniff and a kiss. He must have liked it, he kept smiling... :o)

Ms Donna had made some cute little dogs as well, but they had all been sold, so Mum asked her when she might be making more puppies. Mum embarrasses me sometimes because she thinks I'm beautiful. So, as she often does, she sent Ms Donna the link to this Dogster page.

Well the next thing ya know Donna said she wanted to create a little dog that looks like ME! When Ms Donna told us that Princess was ready she sent us pictures. The one my Mum posted was me outside in Donna's garden. She wrote, "I posed Princess with my pinks and my absolutely favorite flower, butterfly delphinium!" I look sooooooooo pretty, don't you think? :o)

WE HAVE OUR DELTA SOCIETY CERTIFCATION!!!!

On May 9th, 2006, Princess and I were evaluated for certification as a Delta Society Therapy Pet Team.

I am thrilled and humbled to tell everyone that WE DID IT! :o) :o)

Now we are just waiting on our badges so that we can start visiting some of the 23 retirement, rehab, hospice, and hospitals in this area!

Princess was simply brilliant as we were put through the paces!! She is such a precious treasure and we thank the Lord for her everyday!

Licks and Wags to You All! :o)

My Mum Is Coming Here to Stay With Me!!!

I am so excited, I just had to share this with y'all!

My human Mum heard from my previous owner in Alabama. He said that my birth Mum could come and live with us here in Florida!!! Isn't that wonderful!?!? Here is what he said about my Mum and me:

"Ginny is 10 she should be 3 or 4 years older than Princess. Cotons live to be 18 to 20 and have long healthy lives. Ginny and Princess would play together by the hour. Ginny also likes to sit with you for TV watching or reading.

Princess was the older sister to Ginny's other litters, playing with the puppies and even taking her front legs and hugging the puppies while giving them kisses.

Ginny loves being groomed. She seams to enjoy looking good. I tell her “you look so shinny and clean!” Ginny then struts and prances around. It makes her feel special. Princess always wanted to be next!

I think she will make all of you very happy."

My human Dad said we had to wait until June to go pick up my Mum... I'm hoping he'll change his mind and let us go get her sooner!

Keep your paws crossed that he will, O.K.? Oh and my human Mum added a picture of my birth Mum that was sent to her from Mr Argent... isn't she beautiful!?!? Mum will be making my birth Mum a web page too... so stay tuned! :o)

Wags and kisses to you all! :o)

SHE DID IT!!!

Well it is over 6 months overdue but Ms Princess and I finally contacted the local Delta Society regarding Therapy Pet Certification.

The local affiliate, ComforTPets, were setting up initial owner and pet screenings the first and second weekends of March. Princess and I had our screening last Saturday, March 11th 2006, at 10:40 a.m.

We had been practicing for two weeks, so when it was our turn to go in for the screening, Princess flew through the preliminaries like a champ! I was so proud of her!

All those involved in the screening loved her soft luxurious coat, happy smile, and disarming sweetness. But when she sat up squarely on her sturdy little but and wagged her feather-like tail, they all melted... Gosh but it's hard not to feed her treats when she does that... !!! But I digress... :o)

We will start the 7 week Delta Certification training class on March 21st 2006. Final certification testing will take place at the end of May. I'll let y'all know how we do...

In the meantime Happy St Patty's Day! :o)

Thanksgiving Vacation

Well it has been quite awhile since I've written a diary for our Princess Pickachu, but just thought I'd share a few milestones with everyone.

We spent Thanksgiving Day in town. But on Friday we packed up Princess and met my best friend, her husband, and their two Yorkies in Callaway Gardens, Georgia.

This was our first overnight trip with Princess. We weren't too sure how it would go, but she was a perfect lady.

Friday was a travel day, but Saturday we spent purusing the Antique stores in Pine Mountain and then on to the Gardens to pick up our Fantasy of Lights tickets for that evening.

After we picked up the tickets we did some hiking around the beautiful gardens. My husband let Princess pick the paths we would go down and she seemed to delight in being the leader instead of the follower.

By the time 7:00 p.m. rolled around we were all pretty well knackered... As we drove through the garden with its astonishingly beautiful holiday lights and music, Ms Princess was absolutely fascinated by it all. She kept her little head out that window, barking at some of the moving figures, and just having a grand ole time.

But about half way through, all the new sites and sounds of the day seemed to catch up with her. She decided to cuddle up in my arms and fell fast asleep.

It was a wonderful experience for all of us and now we know that we can take her along with us on other trips. What fun!!!!

Happy Holidays Y'all!