Red River Havanese Club 

The Havana Silk Dog Association of America (HSDAA). Is it a new breed?


Red River Havanese Club is a sanctioned local club that fully supports the Havanese Club of America and its efforts to promote the Havanese breed (HCA is the ONLY AKC recognized parent club of our breed). We view the Havana Silk Dog Association of America’s objectives as destructive and divisive to the common good of our breed.

A new organization has recently surfaced. It is called The Havana Silk Dog Association of America (HSDAA). This group claims that dogs registered to the HSDAA are an ‘elite’ registry of Havanese dogs who are appropriately health-screened, free of chondroplasia (a condition which causes bowing of the legs and is sometimes associated with other serious health issues), and who display ‘true Cuban breed type’. The goal of this organization is to gain recognition for the ‘Havana Silk Dog’ as a breed that is separate and distinct from the ‘American Havanese’. We would like to help clear up any confusion which this new organization may have created for people new to the Havanese breed or those people considering purchasing their first Havanese.

This organization’s use of Havana Silk Dog to describe their ‘distinct breed’ is very misleading. The term Havana Silk Dog is a historical name for the Havanese. The Havanese is the native dog of Cuba and today there are many reputable Havanese breeders here in the United States. We are talking about the same breed, not a new, distinct, or designer breed. Please see the document written by one of the first Havanese breeders Liz Vargo explaining the ‘roots’ of our breed.

Unfortunately, the creation of the HSDAA is a political movement within our breed which has had a divisive impact on our long-established national breed organization, The Havanese Club of America (HCA). We are disappointed that some individuals have decided to segregate. It is always best for reputable breeders to work together for the interest of the breed.

There are many good breeders who are not members of HSDAA. All reputable breeders perform recommended health testing suggested by the Havanese Club of America, they try diligently in their breeding program to breed away from health issues, and they also select dogs for their breeding programs that are true to the AKC standard. The pedigree lines which are registered to the HSDAA are not exclusive to the HSDAA registry since there are many non-HSDAA members who have the same lines. Also, there are breeders of dogs that are registered to the HSDAA who are not in agreement with the creation of this new registry.


Do not assume that acquiring a puppy from an HSDAA breeder is a healthier puppy or a puppy ‘truer to the breed standard ‘. The truth is that a puppy, whether called a Havanese or a Havana Silk Dog, is produced from the available gene pool. There are health issues in the Havanese breed just as there are in every breed.  Breeding is not an exact science and genes do not line up according to membership in one club or another. Genetics is a complicated science, and there can never be guarantees that you will get the ‘perfect’ dog from any one organization. A good example: pick 100 people at random and line them up. Assume that theoretically all these people are healthy with no apparent problems. Then take 50 of these people and announce you have a group that will always be healthy, produce totally healthy children with never a defect or problem, and that ‘they’ are a special group. The theory is simply not possible. There are hidden, recessive genes that can pass along any number of potential health problems.

Do not assume that membership in a club guarantees the integrity of a breeder or their skill in the art of breeding.  A good breeder will stand behind the health of their puppy no matter what their club affiliation. We encourage all people to take responsibility in selecting a good breeder and ask all the right questions.  The Havanese Club of America has on their website a list of recommended health tests for our breed. We encourage anyone interested in a Havanese to read this carefully prior to purchasing a puppy from a breeder.

        
                The Havana Silk Dog
        Native Breed of Cuba-Known Today as the Havanese

Although it is new to the AKC, the Havanese is quite an old breed. Its history is fascinating 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.  There is an excellent write-up about this history on the Havanese Club of America website: http://www.havanese.org/hcaHistory.htm


*Content in part by Jan Smith