Morninglow Cotons

RETIRED FROM THE CONFORMATION RING,

BUT STILL HAVING FUN!

OUR FIRST HOMEBRED AKC CHAMPION!

MURPHY

CH Morninglow's Irish Lullaby

MURPHY is the youngest son of our "Irish Litter" (Besito x Ruby), born on St. Patrick's Day 2015, in our own home! Murphy was born both with color AND the famous Coton dilute gene, which has changed him from a dog with the very dark grey markings he was born with into the almost completely white dog that he is today. Murphy premiered in the show ring at Sheboygan, WI, on September 19, 2015, two days after he turned six months old (same show that his Daddy Besito premiered at two years earlier) and took both the 6-9 month puppy class and Winners Dog for his first AKC point! Murphy is a happy little guy with great movement and a beautiful face and a loving, sweet disposition. Murphy took the Winners Dog award for a three-point major at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in December, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, the youngest dog entered in the show, over both adult class males and a couple of professional handlers. I was thrilled to handle Murphy to this victory myself, as he is very special to me. Murphy finished his AKC Championship in April, 2016 at the Fort St. Clair Kennel Club Show in Eaton, OH, win photo below. Many thanks to Judge Robert Hutton for the win! Murphy is loved and co-owned by me and my friends Tina and Todd Gould. If you look at the Puppies tab, you can find many photos of Murphy's litter as little guys and you can compare them with the photo above to see the tremendous amount of color fade that has occurred thus far. The Coton "dilute" or "fade" process is actually quite a fascinating thing to watch!! You can also click HERE to see the extensive health testing that has been performed on Murphy; he has received a "CHIC" certification from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, same as his parents, and his half-brother, Hamilton, and all of the dogs in my breeding program. After his retirement from the AKC ring, Murphy sired two litters for colleagues of mine and is daddy to six puppies in total. He has a son up in Canada, who turned out to be a spitting image of his daddy <3. In summer 2024, he tried out the United Kenenel Club just for the fun of it, and with his main momma, Tina, was awarded Best Altered in Breed at the UKC Coton National Specialty Show in Kalamazoo!

MURPHY IN THE SHOW RING!

ABOVE LEFT, Murphy's official Eukanuba National Championship win photo. I had the pleasure of handling him to this major win myself!! He took this win from the 6-9 month puppy class! I was over the moon!! Many thanks to Judge Dr. Anthony DiNardo for selecting Murphy for this honor!

ABOVE RIGHT, Murphy's very first win photo from the Sheboygan, WI show where I handled him to his first AKC Championship point in September, 2015. Many thanks to Judge Luc Boileau for choosing Murphy for this honor. You can see more of his amazing color transformation by clicking on the "Puppies" tab above.

TOP LEFT, Murphy's 3-generation pedigree.

ABOVE, RIGHT, Murphy (and me) in the Owner-Handled Best in Show ring at the International Kennel Club of Chicago, January 2016.

LEFT and IMMEDIATELY ABOVE, Murphy (and me) at the 2015 AKC National Championship Dog Show where he was awarded his first CH major win.

AVA

CH Morninglow's Mist of Avalon

AVA is my own breeding from our 2018 "Camelot" litter, same as our Artie on our males page. Ava is the daughter of our Ruby, below, and the outstanding two-time World Dog Show winner and GCHB CH Mi-Toi's Icon CM (Icon). Our puppies were so outstanding that I could not pick just one for the program, and so I kept both Artie and Ava, and showed them both to their AKC Championships, completely owner-handled by ME, finishing both on the same day during the 2018 Orlando cluster, earning back to back major wins for both dogs in the largest coton entries of the year! Definitely a thrill beyond measure for a dog show enthusiast!! Both puppies were only 8 months old at the time that they became champions. I eventually placed Artie into a co-ownership with a colleague in the fancy, and he lives in Florida with her. You can read more about his career and exploits all around this website. I continued to show Ava selectively last summer and fall, and we had fun earning some Grand Champion points as well as an Owner-Handled Group 2. Ava and I also completed both a basic and an intermediate obedience course. I had a special bond with this little girl, and I really enjoyed working with her. She was incredibly focused on me in both obedience class and the show ring, and seemed to love both venues. Seeing the dog enjoy herself so much made the activity so much fun :-) . Ava has also been fully health-tested and has received a CHIC certification. You can click to see Ava's extensive health testing here!

Towards the end of 2019, I started to realize that I was going to have to make some hard choices, as I have been blessed with a number of lovely dogs, but unfortunately, no one who wants a small home-based program can keep everything they produce, no matter how lovely those dogs might be. I always want to feel I am giving each dog the full measure of love and attention they each so richly deserve. Although it was a really hard decision for ME, I made the decision to place Ava in a nearby pet home with a lovely family that loves her as much as I do. She is now the queen of her own little castle with all the attention, and doesn't have to share her humans with the other dogs in the house. I think it was a good decision, although I personally miss her terribly. I always try to do the right thing by each of my dogs; most of the time that means that they will spend their lives with me, but sometimes the best solution is for one to move on to another home where the dog can get more attention than I am able to give to him or her. I keep in contact with Ava's family and get lots of photos of her on a regular basis. Ava will always be a very special puppy to me, as among other things, her championship brought me AKC Breeder of Merit status. I will always love her <3

Our Morninglow matriarch....

RUBY

GCH MULTI-CH Spirit Bear Jewel of Versace CM TKN

RUBY is the very first female coton that we brought into our lives, from British Columbia, Canada. Ruby is the first daughter of both Multi-CH Cotonkiss Versace, a 2010 Crufts winner, and Canadian CH Spirit Bear Lil' Snow Drop. Ruby won Best of Breed at her very first competitive AKC outing in the show ring, at the prestigious International Kennel Club of Chicago show, in February 2013, the week she turned six months old! She is a striking beauty, with her mom's gorgeous face and the faded tri-color ear shadings of her magnificent father. Ruby LOVES to boss the pack around at home, and to snuggle with us in bed at night. Ruby finished her American Kennel Club (AKC) Championship on August 9, 2014, among the first ten Cotons de Tulear in history to earn such an honor! She is also the very first foreign-born female to finish an AKC Championship!! She is a United Kennel Club Champion, and also a USACTC (AKC Parent Breed Club) Champion. Ruby is CHIC-certified, which means that she has completed all health testing required by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for the Coton de Tulear breed. In Ruby's case, we have also performed a great number of additional DNA-based and other health tests. Ruby finished her AKC Grand Championship on August 27, 2016, at the Elgin Kennel Club show in St. Charles, IL. She is mother to our 2015 "Irish LItter," our 2016 "Hamilton Litter", our 2017 "Chicago Cubs" litter, and her final litter, our 2018 "Camelot Litter" pics of all of which you can find on our "Puppies" page. She has been an amazing show dog, favorite pet of mine, and wonderful mother to seven little boy puppies and three little girls. All four of her offspring that were shown finished their AKC championships. Two of them (Hamilton and Artie) went on to achieve Grand Champion Silver Status. Ruby also produced a two-time back-to-back USACTC National Specialty Show winner in our Hamilton. Ruby has retired from the show ring and also from active mothering; however, she still rules the roost over a granddaughter and a great-grandaughter who live here with us :-). Ruby also earned herself a Novice Trick Dog (TKN) title to keep herself occupied during the COVID pandemic. She remains our Morninglow matriarch and the best bed partner any human can ask for, and I love her dearly.

You can check out Ruby's very complete health testing HERE

ABOVE, Ruby as a puppy winning Best Puppy in Show at a United Kennel Club novice puppy competition before she was old enough for AKC competition.

RIGHT, Ruby at age 2 at an AKC show in Canfield, OH. Note the dramatic change in her coloring from baby to adult!

LEFT and RIGHT ABOVE, posing for some professional photos in March, 2014. Thanks to Lynda Beam of Canine Candids by Lynda for her great work!

Ruby in the Show Ring!

ABOVE, LEFT, Ruby's AKC Grand Championship certificate, and RIGHT, her GCH finishing photo, taken at the Elgin Kennel Club in St. Charles, IL on August 27, 2016. Many, many thanks to Judge Beverly Capstick for awarding my princess the final points to finish this title.

ABOVE, Ruby wins Best of Breed at the Cudahy Kennel Club show in South Milwaukee, WI, in August 2016, the same show where she finished her championship in 2014! She took this award just a few days shy of her fourth birthday, and after having been a two-time mother. I am so proud of the beauty she has become. Thank you to Judge Richard V. Miller for this special award!

LEFT, Ruby wins Best of Breed with me on the first day of the Canfield, OH cluster in July 2014, just shy of her second birthday. Many thanks to Judge Bradley Jenkis, who chose her for this honor over ten other Cotons de Tulear who were in the ring with her that day!

LEFT, Ruby wins Best of Opposite Sex with me at the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Kennel Club cluster in July, 2013. Many thanks to Judge Douglas Johnson, who chose her for the honor.

RIGHT,Ruby took Best of Breed for a four-point Grand Champion major win at the Old Fort Cluster in Ft. Wayne, IN, on November 1, 2015. Many thanks to Judge Mrs. Gloria Geringer for selecting Ruby as BOB. Ruby was handled to this victory by Ryan Wolfe.

2013 USACTC National Specialty Show winner

2X Select Dog @ WKC

BESITO

NBISS BISS GCHS MULTI-CH Dior's Besame Mucho Morninglow CM2 CGC TKN

BESITO came to Morninglow Cotons in Summer 2013 as a puppy. "Besito" means "little kiss" in Spanish, and is the perfect name for this adorable little guy, who is busy giving kisses all day long! Besito is the son of GCH CH Cowboy's Buffalo Hunter, CM and GCH CH Dior's Alegria, CM. Besito is a mellow little guy who has just fit in perfectly with our family, both human and canine. Besito turned out to be a big deal in the show ring in very little time. He was a multiple Best of Breed and Best in Miscellaneous Group winner back when Cotons were only allowed to compete in the AKC Miscellaneous Group, earning that honor for the first time in only his second trip into the show ring!! In December 2013, Besito took Best of Breed over more than 20 other Cotons de Tulear at the United States of America Coton de Tulear Club (AKC Parent Breed Club) 2013 National Specialty Show in Orlando, Florida, as part of Eukanuba National Championship week! And he was the youngest coton entered in the show! He also took Reserve Best in Miscellaneous Group in the larger show of which the National Specialty was a part, and in which close to 100 Miscellaneous Class animals participated. You can see some of the very exciting swag that Besito and Leslie brought home from that very first Eukanuba if you scroll back to 2013 on our "News" page. Besito earned his first "Certificate of Merit" (the only title a dog could earn in the MIscellaneous Group, and the "CM" after his name above) at the tender age of 10 months, and accumulated a second CM title soon after. Besito continued his winning ways once Cotons were allowed to enter the AKC Non-Sporting Group in July, 2014, He became the fourth coton in history (third male) to earn a regular American Kennel Club Championship (CH). At the end of the first month of regular competition, Besito was ranked as the NUMBER ONE Coton de Tulear in the entire country!! Besito also completed his AKC Grand Championship before 2014 was out, and received an invitation to the very first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show that Cotons were allowed to compete in (February 2015) by ranking in the top five in the breed in the country (#2 in 2014). You can read about Besito's adventures at Westminster--he has now been invited, participated and awarded three times!--on the "News" tab. Besito is also a USACTC (AKC Parent Breed Club for the Coton de Tulear) Champion. In August 2016, Besito made more AKC history by becoming only the second coton in history to achieve SILVER Grand Champion status, at the Elgin Kennel Club Dog Show in St. Charles, IL!! Besito has also participated in and been recognized at numerous AKC National Championship Shows over the course of his career. Photos can be found on the "News" page. Besito retired from the show ring after the 2017 Westminster show, but went on to father two more litters (one for us, and another for a breeder in Canada), also earned himself AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Trick Dog Novice (TKN) titles. He is a great, happy show dog who loves to shine in the ring, and a great, happy housepet who is a joy to live with. We adore him! Besito is a CHIC-certified dog and you can check out all of his health testing on record with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals here.

BELOW, LEFT and RIGHT, my beautiful grown-up Besito in the show ring in Orlando, Florida in December, 2015, and as a new puppy at our house in July, 2013.

BESITO IN THE SHOW RING!

ABOVE, Besito at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in NYC in February 2016, where he picked up the first of his two back-to-back Select Dog awards. Besito also received an Award of Merit (AOM) at Westminster 2015, which was the first WKC that Cotons were allowed to compete at. Besito was shown to both Select Dog awards by Ryan Wolfe. In this photo, the judge is the late Norm Patton.

ABOVE, Besito finished his American Kennel Club Certificate of Merit in January 2014 in Grayslake, Illinois, winning Best of Breed AND Best in Miscellaneous Group! He was our second coton to finish his CM, after Ruby. He was handled on his finish day by my friend, Corinne Kolzow.

In Memoriam.....

PIPPIN

UKC CH Fluffy Acres' Morning Glow, CA

08.15.2010--10.9.2024

PIPPIN was the inspiration behind our kennel name--our second Coton, whose name we agonized over for weeks. It had to be just perfect. We went to see him every week from the time he was born and got to know both him and all of his littermates. In the end, we named him for the Broadway show, which is in the middle of a successful revival right now--"Pippin", which is the story of the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, as he learns about life and love and to make his way in the world. His kennel name, Morning Glow, is a reference to a song in the show of the same name, a beautiful, rousing, hopeful song that concludes the first act. He fits the name perfectly--beautiful, rousing, and always hopeful he will have a chance to run and chase a bunny across our backyard, no matter what the weather. Pippin is a United Kennel Club Champion, and is multiple Best of Breed winner in the American Kennel Club (AKC), and a multiple Best in Show Miscellaneous Group winner. Pippin is CHIC-certified dog, a fabulous family dog, and when not running, can be found strewn out across somebody's lap, staring into their eyes! Pippin is my super-athlete, and just finished his AKC Coursing Ability (CA) title! You can read more about it, and see his pretty ribbon on the "News" page.

You can check out Pippin's health testing here.

ABOVE LEFT, Pippin flying across our backyard at seven months old.

ABOVE RIGHT (TOP), Pippin looking clean and pretty after his bath.

ABOVE RIGHT (BOTTOM), Pippin at the age of five weeks.

PIPPIN IN THE SHOW RING!

ABOVE (LEFT), Pippin is ready and waiting his turn to enter the ring

ABOVE (RIGHT), My husband showed Pippin to a Best of Breed at the Geneva Kennel Club cluster in St. Charles, IL in August, 2013.

SAMMIE

UKC GRCH Fluffy Acres' Sammie Napoleon

SAMMIE is the very first coton we fell in love with, back in 2009! One look at this beautiful little guy was all it took to fall in love for life. Sammie trained ME to be a show handler, and together we earned a United Kennel Club Championship and then a Grand Championship. He is now retired from the show ring, but lives the life of a prince, supervising and settling domestic disputes among his brothers and sister!

ABOVE, Sammie just after his bath, looking smashing, as always!

ABOVE, LEFT, a photo of Sammie on the day he won his United Kennel Club Grand Championship with Leslie

ABOVE, RIGHT, just LOOK at those eyes!