OUR FIRST HOMEBRED AKC CHAMPION!
MURPHY
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
Our Morninglow matriarch....
RUBY
GCH MULTI-CH Spirit Bear Jewel of Versace CM TKN
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.
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, "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 fit the name perfectly--beautiful, rousing, and always hopeful he would have a chance to run and chase a bunny across our backyard, no matter what the weather. Pippin was a United Kennel Club Champion, and a multiple Best of Breed winner in the American Kennel Club (AKC), and a multiple Best in Show Miscellaneous Group winner. Pippin was 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 was my super-athlete, and was the first Coton de Tulear in AKC history to earn a Coursing Ability (CA) title! You can read more about it, and see his pretty ribbon on the "News" page.
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.
ABOVE (LEFT), Pippin 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!