Most agree, the Havanese dog can be traced to the Canary Island of Bichon Tenerife off the coast of Spain. There are four Bichon types of dogs that are traced to the Mediterranean area – the Bichon Maltese, Bichon Bolognaise, Bichon Tenerife and Bichon.
Havanese. Sometime around the 14th century Spanish sailors discovered these dogs and brought them back to the continent.
From that point these four breeds began to be developed into their own line. The Bichon Tenerife became the Bichon Frise and was admitted in 1934 to the stud book for the Societe Centrale Canine (the Central Canine Society in France which was founded in 1881). The Maltese was crossed with the Tibetan Terrier for the pure white coat. The Bolognaise was developed as a breed in Bologna, Italy.
Our sweet Havanese was devolped by a number of small Bichon-type dogs that were brought to Cuba by the sailors of Italy and Spain. The Havanese coat is a little different than the other types as has many different colors and a distinct wave to its fur. The distinction is theorized to come from a cross with the now-extinct South American poodle, though no one is sure.
Little Havanese dogs were popular in Cuba, especially with the upper class. Then in July 1953, Fidel Castro began his revolution, spewing hatred and violence toward anyone and anything he perceived “upper class.” Many who fled thought it would all blow over soon, but others were more perceptive and prepared for the worst, bringing their dogs with them. No one had ever thought Castro’s hatred would be taken out on little innocent dogs, but they were wrong. Castro hated the upper class so much that he even committed the unthinkable horrific act of taking out his hostility on their dogs. The breed would have become completely wiped out had not it been for 11 dogs, brought to safety with their loving owners. From what we know, all the Havanese dogs in the world today can trace their ancestry back to these 11 dogs from the 1950s.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognized the breed in 1996. Today it is one of the fastest growing dog breeds in the AKC. They have climbed to the 22nd spot of most popular dog breeds as of the 2020 report.
