Mention the word, “smile” in connection to a breed, and virtually anyone who knows anything about dogs will think of the Samoyed and it’s famous “Sammy Smile.” It’s so important that it’s mentioned in the AKC breed standard, and is the only standard to do so.
Or is it?
It might surprise you to learn that there is one other breed standard that mentions the breed’s expressive grin, and that is the “Royal Dog of Madagascar,” better known as the Coton de Tulear.
This wonderful breed is a ray of sunshine! Gay, lighthearted, clownish and easygoing (and these are all words from the breed standard!), the Coton is also described as having “joie de vivre” – a joy of living that is revealed with an expressive smile, and sometimes a head cock that deepens the resolve of its owner to do anything for this delightful dog! It wasn’t surprising, then, when we came upon a source that described the Coton as the “Anti-Depressant” dog!
The actual wording from the standard regarding its smile is: “The Coton de Tulear is characterized by a natural long, white, dry, profuse, cotton-like coat, rounded lively dark eyes, black on white “joie de vivre” expressive smile and witty personality.”
Fine, tight, and completely pigmented black lips against a brilliant white coat make it easy to see upturned corners of the mouth, and even one unfamiliar with the breed is left thinking, “That dog is smiling at me!” Indeed, he or she is!
Image: We found the photo of this charmer, “Isabelle” on the website of snowflowercotons. As there is no copyright indication on the page, we hope we’re safe in sharing a great illustration of that smile. We are happy to give full attribution, but the link to the website gives us a “This site can’t be reached” message.