Hello, my name is Karen and I have had dogs in my life since I was 12. My first dog, Pie, technically belonged to my oldest brother; she was a Shepherd/Collie mix that our parents brought home from the shelter. Pie taught me so much about living, caring, and giving back. Through the years, I have had many dogs in my life after Pie - Dobermans, a rescued Saint Bernard, Rottweilers, a rescued Collie mix, a Husky mix, a Beagle, a rescued Akita, Cairn Terriers, a Silky Terrier. Along with the dogs, I have had several cats in my life.
When I grew up and was able to afford to buy my own dog I thought hard about what breed I wanted, what I wanted to do with my dog. Instead of choosing any of the previous breeds I had in my life I choose the Coton, probably for many of the reasons that brought you here. The Coton de Tulear breed is expressive, loving, loyal, and just willing to be with you. Even if you are just trying to go into the bathroom!
In 2004, I purchased my first Coton Divinity's Fusion Energy, a breed line that came from California. My Dillon, is the grand sire to several champions now, and even though he passed in 2017 I am still so very proud of him.
I socialize puppies early by taking them to Home Depot, Lowe's, my bank, doctor's offices when I have permission and any neighbor, friend or acquaintance willing to say hello and give a treat or a friendly ear scratch. We sometimes just go for rides around the block or to the local fast food to get some more exposure. If we have a litter at the right time, the dogs, puppies, and people all climb into the truck, hitch up the camper trailer and head to Michigan. There they are loaded on canoes or pontoon boats and exposed to the local streams and lakes. Puppies get handled and played with as soon as they can hold their heads up. We leash train as soon as they get their shots so that you have a puppy that knows what it means to walk on a leash even though they may not like it at first.
While I might not be as involved in showing as much as I would like, all of my breeding females have their Championships in either UKC (United Kennel Club) or AKC (American Kennel Club) or both. I have to mention my friends here and if I lose your patronage to them I understand, but without the help of Legacy Cotons and Daydreaming Cotons, my heart would have gone out of sharing these wonderful dogs with you a few years back. Tiffany and Vi, THANK YOU, for all of your encouragement and support, thank you for understanding that these dogs are my joy and my sanity. And Thank You for visiting my website and considering a First State puppy.
While many kennels save money buy buying vaccines through the internet or farm supply stores, I still use my local vet. I like to have proof of when shots were given, the lot numbers, the expiration of the vaccine, and proof that the vaccine and any other medications were handled properly before the drugs were given to my dogs and puppies. I get sonograms and x-rays to make sure I have a close count of puppies and to ensure their pregnancy looks normal. My boys and girls get tested for brucellosis. Puppies go to the vet at three days old for health check and dew claw removal. Thereafter, we follow the veterinarian recommended schedule for puppies and adults for shots and check ups, this includes dental cleanings. While our parent club has stopped recommending certain health checks before breeding we will continue to do them, these health tests can be easily found on WWW.OFFA.ORG just look for our kennel name.
