PUPPIES

The adoption fee for our Havanese puppies is set at the current market rate for Havanese placed in companion homes.  We only place puppies in companion homes, with spay or neuter required. We do not place puppies in show homes. If we want a puppy to be shown, we retain it and show it ourselves.

Dog shows are a test of a dog's conformance to the AKC breed standard, and it's physical and mental soundness.  The AKC breed standard specifies the defining characteristics of a breed, its conformation (structural build and soundness), and its personality and behavior traits. Havanese that can complete their AKC conformation championships are physically and mentally sound and look and act like Havanese. Quality matters.  You can review the AKC Havanese breed standard, adopted by the Havanese Club of America, at https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/Havanese.pdf.

Yes, our Havanese are health tested according to the requirements for members of the Havanese Club of America, and are posted on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) website, www.ofa.org.  They also undergo additional health testing. All responsible breeders post their dogs' health testing results on this website.  While no person can guarantee the health of another living being, health testing helps remove individuals from the gene pool if they have undesirable health issues that they might pass on.  You can read more about Havanese health via the "Havanese Health" page of the Havanese Club of America website, https://www.havanese.org/health.  

Our goal is to place our Havanese puppies in companion homes where they will enjoy an exceptional quality of life. We provide information and offer guidance to our adoptive parents to assist them in welcoming their new puppy to their home and help ensure that their puppy receives appropriate care throughout its life.  Please send us an email at LaTierraHavanese@gmail.com to request an adoption questionnaire.  After reviewing your responses, we will arrange a telephone visit so that we can get to know each other.  If we agree that we might be a good fit, we will arrange an in person visit.  We are (still) Covid safe and require KN-95 masks (or better) for home visits.  We do not sell Havanese over the internet, nor do we ship Havanese.  We provide a written contract to help ensure the well-being of each Havanese puppy we place, and to provide guidelines and protections to each party.

Havanese have hair, not fur, which means they will likely shed far less than breeds with fur.  As a result, some people who are allergic to dogs with fur are not allergic to Havanese. However, some people who are generally or severely allergic to dogs are allergic to Havanese.  Those with mild allergies to dogs or asthma often find that keeping their Havanese in a short clip, bathing it once a week, and cleaning the tearing beneath the dog's eyes, significantly reduces their allergic reaction. If you or someone in your home is allergic to dogs, be sure to disclose the issue to the breeder.  Otherwise you may be faced with the very sad necessity of returning a puppy you adopted to its breeder.   

 Havanese are generally good with children.  However, Havanese are toy dogs, and may be scared or injured by inappropriate advances and behavior by young children.  If you have younger children, carefully consider whether you have the time to supervise your children with a Havanese puppy, or if a larger breed such as a Golden Retriever or Labrador is more appropriate for your family's first dog.  We recommend that younger children always sit on the floor when holding or playing with Havanese.  Havanese generally do well with older children, but even conscientious older children need to be mindful of not inadvertently hurting a puppy.