By 2006, St-Hyacinthe had hosted the National Specialty three years running. What had started as a change of scenery in 2004 was now a tradition, and the club was beginning to think of Quebec as a second home for the show.
Three in a row
Three years is enough to build habits. Members knew the drive, the hotel, the hall, and the people who ran the weekend. That familiarity made the show easier to put on, and it gave the club a stable base while the breed itself kept growing.
The breed in 2006
By the middle of the decade, the Coton in Canada was no longer a rare curiosity. There were more litters, more owners, and more dogs in the ring. The Specialty reflected that: a larger entry, more first time exhibitors, and a wider spread of bloodlines than in the early years.
A different kind of pressure
With growth comes scrutiny. Breeders were comparing notes more closely, and health testing was becoming part of the conversation. The 2006 show was still first and foremost about conformation, but the talk around the ring was already turning to hips, patellas and eyes.
Results
The full results for 2006 are still being assembled. If you have the catalogue, a ribbon, or photographs from the day, they can help complete this page. Please write to us, call us, or come and visit us at a club event.
In 2026 the club is still working through the specialty archive. 2006 matters because it shows the show settling into a pattern, and the breed settling into Canada.
