American Coton Club

The American Coton Club (ACC) is an independent advocate for Cotons. It was established in the year 2000 as an educational and informative service organization. It offers Coton owners and breeders a voice and a choice. ACC is open to everyone; anyone can join whether or not you are affiliated with another Coton club. We assume anyone interested in ACC has an interest in Cotons and their welfare.

ACC has no institutional bias toward or against any breeders, Coton clubs or show organizations. ACC newsletters, informational pamphlets and other publications are unfettered by special interests. We serve only Cotons. We do not compete with other clubs for members, volunteers, registrants, contributors or breeders. Our stated purpose is to supplement and enhance existing programs for Cotons.

ACC at present has no officers, constitution or bylaws. Ron Hiskes (see Figure 1) serves as coordinator and editor of the American Coton quarterly magazine. His role is more like file clerk and editor than an officer.

Ron Hiskes

In other words, ACC is not bound by traditional club formats, only by a resolve to do our best and maintain high standards.

The status of Coton Dogs in the United States is in a state of flux. There are two different standards, each drawing a substantial number of breeders. Each of these standards has been revised at least once since its inception. Coton clubs with differing standards (USACTC, CTCA) register each other's dogs. In addition, it is quite possible that Coton Dogs will be incorporated into the AKC in the future. This has caused divisiveness and animosity between the leaders of different clubs. Many breeders would prefer a more service oriented and less competitive emphasis on group activities. In recent years, many excellent breeders have not been attracted to the offerings of "official" clubs. ACC offers a non-competitive environment to share good will and the joy of Cotons through:

A "Code of Ethics" and club "COE" breeders are popular among traditional clubs. This is usually a contract between a breeder and the club, and includes a fee-based listing on the club's breeders' list. ACC thinks a "Code of Ethics" should be instead a contract between a breeder and a puppy buyer. ACC supports and encourages this type of "COE" which does not include a requirement, for example, to register dogs with ACC. We strongly encourage for all Cotons traditional registration as well as health registration with any reputable organization, not necessarily ACC. Although ACC offers an excellent pedigree and registration service for those who wish it, we don't think club loyalty has anything to do with ethical breeding.

As the popularity of Coton Dogs increases in the United States, there is an increasing need for Coton Rescue. Rather than establishing an exclusive ACC Rescue Effort and compete for funds with the Rescue operations of other clubs, ACC endorses and supports the club independent UCARE, the United Coton de Tulear Association for Rescue and Education, and supports the annual UCARE fundraiser, The Coton Calendar.

Many have told us they like the ACC philosophy and practice, and ACC is the fastest growing Coton Club in the United States with well over 100 members in the first year of operation. ACC membership includes United States, Canadian and European owners and breeders.

ACC maintains an extensive and informative web site at www.cotondogs.com where we publish news of interest to the Coton Community. Included here are up to date listings of Coton Dogs having eye health certified by CERF, and links to the OFA Coton database as well as Coton related information provided by other health certification organizations. We list Cotons which have had their health tests certified by ACC, and breeders who subscribe to the philosophy that ethical breeding is a responsibility of the breeder to the buyer and to the dogs themselves.