Havanese

The Havanese is a little dog with a lot of history. Weighing only between 7-13 pounds, these little guys make up for in personality what they lack in size. While these pups make great cuddle buddies, they have also been known to excel as therapy dogs. This can very well be due to the fact that they attach themselves to humans, and for that, they earned the nickname ‘velcro’.

These dogs began to become popular in the 1800s from within aristocratic families in Cuba. They served as wonderful lapdogs for the royalty. European travelers quickly fell in love with the pups too, and spread them all over Europe...owning a Havanese had become very trendy!

Interestingly, once the trend died down, Havanese dogs nearly went extinct. At the end of the Cuban Revolution(1959), 11 Havanese owners managed to exit Cuba with their pups. These Havanese rescues are essentially the ancestors of almost all the Havanese dogs living outside Cuba today. Today, breeders attempt to expand their gene pool as this often leads to healthier pups.

The Havanese is extremely affectionate toward everyone they encounter. Making new friends, both animals and humans, is never an issue for these doggos. One important aspect of owning these dogs is to not overly pamper them. They are very intelligent and have been known to find all kinds of sneaky ways to get their humans to give them what they want. At some point, you will begin to wonder who is training who!

Instagram Photo Permission: @hola_presley