Havanese dogs share a long history of being the pets of Spanish sailors and they are formally originated from Cuba. The Cubans have long believed that these wonderful pets have been given to them in history by the Italian traders, as a gesture to help bring wealthy individuals to their goods and services. Often nicknamed the "Little dog of Havana" , these cute little dogs often traveled back and forth to Europe, where they were discovered to be great trickster dogs and circus performers throughout the 19th century.

Throughout the Cuban Revolution there were many Havanese dogs that became part of wealthy land owners in Cuba. They were even considered great court companions in Europe in the 19th century also! The Havanese dog also carries other names also, such as White Cuban, Havana Silk dog, Spanish silk poodle. Amongst others. This dog is actually the favorite amongst aristocratic sugar barons in Cuba also and are known as the "National dog of Cuba" as well.

It was through Mrs. Dorothy Goodale and her husband during the 1970's that the this breed of dog has been kindled back into the United States of America. Their mission was to search and purchase as many Havenese puppies as they could possibly find and then breed them.

While many of these wealthy land owners fled Cuba to go to the United States, a very small percentage of them were able to ever bring their Havanese pups with them. Another thing is that many of these owners did not really care much to breed these dogs. It is only in the 1970's that Americans themselves became hugely interested in breeding this uniquely adorable and rare creature. As there were only really around 11 breeds of different animal gene pools in the United States, this made room for these dogs to be extremely rare in the U.S.

And while breeding of the Havanese has become increasingly popular over the past couple of decades, we can now see that this breed of dog has made a rather massive comeback, being recognized by the major kennel clubs of America. They are also widely considered the fastest growing breed of registered dogs in the United States, with an overall increase of 40% in 2003 alone by the American Kennel Club!

There is also a level of increased value that goes hand in hand with these dogs as rarity and famous publicity by owners such as Barbara Walters over the years. There is even the Havanese club of America, which works very hard and for a long time, to try and find out and get rid of any associated health problems that these dogs might have. Despite any uncommon health problems, the Havanese dog still has a long life of around 14 years on average! They are still considered very healthy, active dogs despite any health problems they may have.

Some ailments that might occur includes:

-Deafness

-Cataracts

-Femur malformations

-Liver problems

-Heart problems

Altogether, the Havanese dogs share a history rich in culture, cross-continent travels and even interesting "dog" jobs!