THE PICTURE PERFECT HAVANESE
Courtesy of the Havanese Club of America
OVER TIME THE PICTURE HAS REMAINED THE SAME
A lthough it is new to the AKC, the Havanese is quite an old breed in “dog years”. Its history is fasci- nating and important to defining type, as it is unique in many respects. The Havanese is the National dog of Cuba and its only native breed. The flag of Spain was first raised over Cuba by Christopher Columbus in November of 1492. In the ten years following, colonization was begun on the island by Spain, who owned it for the better part of the next four hundred years. The first settlers came from two distinct classes—farmers, primar- ily from the island of Tenerife and the “segundos”, or second sons of the Spanish aristocracy. Ship’s logs of the early 16th century reveal that dogs were brought along on these early colonists’ voyages and logic tells
us they were most likely the dog of Tenerife, common ancestor to all the Bichon family. Because of the draco- nian trade restrictions imposed on its colonies by Spain, Tenerife remained one of the only ports open to Cuba for trade and it would appear these little dogs, who soon found their way into the homes of the resident Spanish aristocracy, developed without much outside influence. They did, however, develop in response to the climate of this tropical island. The Havanese of today is still a remarkably heat-tol- erant little dog, due in no small part to the unique coat. Once called the Havana Silk Dog or the Spanish Silk Poodle, the coat is like raw silk floss, profuse but extremely light and soft and insulating against the tropical rays in much the same way that yards of silk sari protect thewomen of India.
In its native country, the coat was never clipped for this reason and the hair never tied into a topknot, as the Cubans believe it protects the eyes from the harsh sun. In spite of the trade restrictions, Co- lonial Cuba developed and prospered. By the 18th Century, it was the cul- tural center of the New World, with an elegance that surpassed anything the British had managed in its colo- nies! The aristocracy of Europe found the city of Havana to be a great vaca- tion spot with its operas, theatres and palacios. On their return to Europe, they brought back the Little Dog of Havana, which found favor in the courts of Spain, France and England. In both Spain and in the court of Lou- is XVI, they were shorn in themanner of Poodles and were much admired for their diminutive size. The English,
“IN ITS NATIVE COUNTRY, THE COAT WAS NEVER CLIPPED FOR THIS REASON AND THE HAIR NEVER TIED INTO A TOP- KNOT, AS THE CUBANS BELIEVE IT PROTECTS THE EYES FROM THE HARSH SUN.”
56 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2019
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