Until about two months ago I had never heard of a Havanese. One day I saw a photo of the cutestTiny dog I’d ever seen and had to know more about him. That was the day I learned about this rare breed of toy dog and signed up to be a foster/rescue Mom for Havanese puppies.

A Havanese is a very small or ‘toy’ sized dog. They have long silky wavy hair and sturdyTiny bodies. They come in white, black, black and white, tan, and combinations of these. Many people have them groomed with a ‘puppy cut’ which I prefer as it shows off their sweet Littlefaces. They are also groomed with a more show dog cut that allows their long, wavy coat to reach floor level. They generally weigh about ten to fifteen pounds at maturity and are between 13″ and 15″ tall.

Originally they are said to have come from the aristocrats of Spain when they immigrated to Havana, Cuba, thus the name. When Cuban citizens fled to America, during the Cuban revolution in the 1950′s, they brought their beloved Havanese dogs with them. Their history possibly goes back to the fifteenth century and are stated to be a member of the Bichon family. Artwork dating back to Ancient Greece is decorated with artwork and paintings of dogs that look very similar. For a while it was feared the breed was becoming extinct, but several devoted dog lovers managed to find a few purebred Havanese scattered around the world and bred them to the sturdy, smart, funny companion dogs we’ve today.

Havanese are just now becoming more popular in the United States. Sadly, because they’re rare, they’re expensive and money leads to abuse in the form of puppy mills. Puppy mills are horrendous places where wire cages filled with dogs kept only for breeding a commodity are stacked up in row upon row, where urine and feces rain down from the upper cages to the bottom. Puppies pile on top of one another because the wire bottoms of the cages injured their feet. Some end up with damaged teeth or no front teeth at all after months of trying to chew their way free. Females are forced to bear litter after litter until they’re no longer deemed good puppy providers and are often turned lose on their own to fend for themselves.

Puppies are sold to pet stores or other breeders forMassiveprofits. In some cases the breeding barns aren’t even heated and many of the puppies and moms freeze to death. This is why I became a foster parent for a rescue group. They are sweet, gentle dogs that deserve to be loved and cared for.

Havanese are wonderful with kids and easily house broken. I recently cared for a three-month old Havanese named Tanya. After only a couple of days she was house trained and when I’d take her outside I just asked her to poop’ and she would oblige me! She now has a permanent, loving home and this makes me happy and alleviates the sadness I felt when she left. Soon I will take in two more puppies who will be saved from a life of abuse and neglect. If you are interested in welcoming a sweetTiny dog to your home, search the net for a Havanese rescue group, you’ll be happy you did!