The Tibecot is a designer
dog, the intentional cross between two lesser known companion dogs, the Coton
de Tulear, a small white dog that developed on the island of Madagascar, and
the Tibetan Terrier, a charming and dependable canine that was developed in the
mountains of Tibet. The histories of both of the parent breeds are shrouded in
mystery, although it is believed that the Tibetan Terrier was developed first,
some 2000 years ago. These little dogs have always been treated as good luck
charms and family companions by the monks who developed them, and while they may
have caught a mouse here and there, they are not actually Terriers in anything
but name. They were, however, known to help with the sheep herding on occasion
and were known for their ability to run over the backs of the sheep when they
were being driven through narrow ravines. The Tibetan Terriers were never sold but they were frequently given as gifts to
the villagers who surrounded the monasteries
and to highly appreciated or valued guests. The Coton de Tulear is a much newer
breed than the Tibetan Terrier, one
largely dependent on this little white dog’s ability to survive on its own. It shares its lineage with several
other Mediterranean dogs, such as the
Poodle, the Bichon Frise, and Maltese breeds, that were descended from an ancient Italian water Spaniel. These dogs all have
distinctive silky coats, most of them single layered and many of them in white. Nobody knows for sure how the little
white dogs got to the island of Madagascar, or for that matter, which variety or
varieties of Bichon contributed to the breed, although the most likely candidate
is the Bichon Tenerife. We do know that Bichon dogs like the Bichon Tenerife were frequently employed as pest
control on ships and Madagascar was a major trading port. The most widely
believed legend surrounding the origins of this dog states that several of the
dogs made their way to land as the only survivors to shipwrecks off of the coast
of Tulear hundreds of years ago, although there is no documentation to prove this
theory. We do know that they became feral for one reason or another, and survived
as both scavengers and as pack hunters on
the island of Madagascar for several generations before they gained the
attention of locals, earning the title “Royal Dog of Madagascar”.
