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Havanese History

Havanese dogs are of the Bichon family and may be referred to as the Bichon Havanese or as the Havana Silk Dog and Habenoros in Spanish . Havanese dogs go back to Plinius (23 to 79 B.C.). The earliest references to the ancestors of the modern line are in the Mediterranean region, on the island of Malta, and the breed may have originated there.

During the days of the Spanish empire, Bichons travelled to Cuba with sea captains who used them as presents for the wealthy Cuban women in order to gain entry and in so doing, were then able to establish lucrative trading relationships with these rich Cuban families.  Once in Cuba, the Havanese (Habeneros in Spanish) lived exclusively in the mansions of the highest social class of people.

The Havanese found its way to Europe where it became very popular and was recognized by the European Kennel Club.  It was known in England as the "White Cuban."  Queen Anne is said to have admired a troupe of performing dogs that danced to music in almost human fashion.  As happened to many other dog breeds, the Havanese' popularity waned over the course of time.  For a while they were used in circuses as trick dogs throughout Europe and eventually they almost became extinct even in their native Cuba.

During the Cuban revolution, the Havanese began to die out except for a handful of them who found their way to the United States where they have slowly but steadily been rebuilt. All the Havanese in the world today, except for those from the "iron curtain" countries and those remaining in Cuba, stem from those 11 immigrants. Through out of their travels Havanese type has remained virtually unchanged from that of the dogs in the eighteenth century.