Our story, our garden, our dogs.
Le Cottage wasn't born from a business plan: it's a house we repaired plank by plank, which slowly became a very small Maltese kennel.
From an abandoned farmhouse to a family kennel.
Nine years ago, Camille and Antoine Fortin bought an abandoned century-old farmhouse on chemin Georgeville, close to Lake Memphremagog. Three summers of renovation later, the cottage had its gingham curtains, its peony garden and its little sewing room — all it needed was a dog to complete the picture.
Choosing the Maltese happened almost by chance, at a breeder friend's home in the Montérégie. Her first female, Pivoine, became the founder of Le Cottage. Nine years later, Pivoine enjoys a gentle retirement in the garden sun, and her daughters carry the line forward.
Today, Le Cottage keeps two breeding females and raises two litters a year, never more — enough time to know every puppy well enough to know which family they belong with.
A garden full of flowers to grow up in.
Litters are born upstairs, then discover the rest of the house — and the garden — one room at a time.
The sewing room
Puppies are born and spend their first three weeks in the old upstairs sewing room — quiet, warm, and steps from our own bedroom for night rounds.
The fenced garden
From six weeks, weather permitting, puppies discover the grass, the rose bushes and a gingham blanket spread in the shade of the apple tree — their first taste of the wider world.
The kitchen and its noises
The blender, the radio, Sunday guests: puppies grow up amid the ordinary sounds of a lived-in home, not in an isolated room.
Health tested before every litter.
No mating takes place until the female has completed the screenings recommended for small breeds. Certificates are handed to you in person — not summarized, not "available on request".
Patellas (luxation)
Orthopedic knee exam by our veterinarian — a known point of vigilance for small breeds like the Maltese.
Heart and eyes
Cardiac auscultation and an annual ophthalmological exam by a veterinarian.
Teeth and deworming
Regular dental follow-up and current deworming — the Maltese is prone to tartar, and we watch it closely.
A two-year guarantee against serious hereditary conditions, provided in writing. Replacement or refund, your choice.
Come see the Cottage before you decide.
We welcome families by appointment, even without a firm plan. You'll see where the puppies are born, meet their mother, and get to ask the hard questions.
One piece of advice, even if you don't adopt from us: be wary of a breeder who offers to meet in a parking lot or won't show you the mother. It's the most reliable signal there is.