Biton

The Biton is a hybrid dog that originated in the United States. It was created by crossing the Bichon Frise with a Coton de Tulear to make a wonderful family companion. Though little else is known about the origin of this hybrid, there is a lot of documentation surrounding the parent breeds. In an ironic twist, the Bichon Frise and the Coton de Tulear are actually related. They both are descended from the Barbet, or barbichon breed, a dog who has been variously placed in Europe and the Mediterranean. At some point, this woolly water dog was taken to the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands by Spanish or Portuguese sailors. In the 14th century, Italian or French sailors brought the breed over to Europe. This strain of the barbichon was to become the Bichon Frise. In Europe, the Bichon Frise enjoyed a popularity amongst the royal houses of Spain, France, and England until the late 1800s. As their status as favorite royal pets dissipated, they began to appear as circus performers and leaders of the blind. After World War I, breeders in France sought to preserve the breed, and an official standard was adopted in 1933. Then, they were called Bichon or Tenerife, and later, the French name that translated as ‘Bichon with the curly coat’ was anglicized into Bichon Frise. The breed came to the United States in 1956, and was recognized by the AKC by 1971. Back in the island of Tenerife, the barbichon breed was taken by sailors in the 16th and 17th centuries to the islands of Mauritius and Reunion in the Indian Ocean. By now, the breed had evolved a long, cottony coat and was called the Coton de Reunion. This dog became a valued possession of sailors, merchants, officials and pirates aboard their ships, and was brought to the trading port of Tulear in Madagascar sometime in the 17th century. Here, it was prized by the Marina tribal monarchy and soon became the royal dog of the country. For a long time, anyone other than royalty was forbidden from owning the dog. Over time, it interbred with the Morondava hunting dog. In the 1970s, the breed was brought to France and the United States, and acquired the name Coton de Tulear, or cotton dog from Tulear. The AKC didn’t recognize the Coton as a distinct breed until 2014.