# Havanese Passed Away



## Junebug (Oct 17, 2011)

My 14 1/2 year old Havanese passed away on October 11th. It has been a terrible time, but I'm doing better. I'm not ready for a puppy yet, but will be looking to get one in about a year, and definitely want another Havanese. How does one find a reputable breeder? The breed has become so popular since we got our Basil that I'm afraid of what's out there. Any advice?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Welcome to the forum . So sorry about your loss. Hope you find another great Hav. Others will chime in.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

I am so very sorry for your loss. You have come to a great source of information about everything Havanese.

You can use the Search feature regarding finding a reputable breeder. One of the sources mentioned frequently is a listing of members of the Havanese Club of America. There is a listing of 10 questions to ask a breeder at this link: http://www.havanese.org/breeder-ref

Finally, there are more Havanese than ever in Rescue waiting for their forever homes.

Welcome to the forum.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Just reading about it felt like a punch in the gut to me. I know the pain. You're lucky enough to have a number of good breeders in your part of the country. Tom, of Starborn is a forum member, YuppyPuppy is in Florida and there are a few others. I'm sure some of our members will chime in. For now, sending you a cyber hug as you deal with the absence of your best friend.


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

I'm so sorry about your loss........there are alot of posts about breeders that people love on this forum............you will know when the time is right!


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## narci (Sep 6, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear your loss junebug. It's always good to know you and your have had over 14 years of great memories and time shared together.

you'll know when it more time for newer memories.


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

So sorry for your loss.


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

This is a hard time--been there. We always ask the question--would we choose never to have a sweetheart like Junebug so not feel this terrible loss, or try very hard to be grateful for the 14-1/2 years. I am so sorry.

Shirley


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm so sorry.


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## jessegirl (May 13, 2011)

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, but welcome.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Sorry to read of the loss of your beloved havanese. :hug:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

:grouphug: I'm so sorry, It hurts to imagine, 14.5 years is not long enough  

There are some great breeders here on the forum and I know you'll get some wonderful breeder referrals here.

:welcome: to the forum!

Kara


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

So sorry about Basil - its so hard to lose a treasured member of the family.

We are in south GA and found Panda in FL at Los Perritos. There are a number of breeders who are members on this site also....


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## Pipersmom (Jul 27, 2009)

So sorry for the loss of your Basil.


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

:grouphug: So Very, Very Sorry


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## jcarol (Mar 20, 2010)

I am so sorry. I know the pain. We lost our 18 month old Havanese in August and our 13 yr old rescue dog in September. You will know when the time is right for a puppy. There are many good breeders and you've come to the right place to ask questions.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your precious Basil. There is a breeder in Savannah but I will have to see if I can find the website. I'm pretty sure she does all the health-testing but will check into it for you. We waited a year to get another and we were so ready!!!


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## Trixie (Oct 9, 2010)

I hope you find swift comfort from the loss of your dear friend & family member, Basil, ... and that your period of sadness will lift gracefully, with each day, enabling you to fully enjoy your treasured memories of him, with laughter & gratitude. It's never easy to accept a pet's transition,.... but we grow lil' wings ourselves, with each pet we love throughout their lives & each one we help transition out of this physical world, with whatever small thing we are able to do,.... even if it is just to love them, until the end of this chapter & beyond. 
I hope that you find a new & wonderful bond with a new puppy, to help ease this time. Blessings to you. :hug:


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

I am so sorry about your loss of Basil.


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## West End Girl (Feb 18, 2011)

Very sorry to hear about your loss. 

I will say that finding a good breeder is like winning the lottery. PLEASE do your research. Word of mouth and referrals are the best. 

Beware of breeders who don't do health testing or encourage you to get specific tests done should they not have the proper facilities around them. This happened in my case with Lola. She is deaf and was not tested by the breeder, nor was I encouraged to do so or not informed about the lack of health testing. A complete nightmare which I will NOT hijack your thread with. 

Bottom line.....word of mouth based on reputable experiences by others. Avoid those who don't do health testing or tell you that they have no puppies but their "friend" does. RED FLAG

I had a parrot that died which I was very close to. I waited about one year before we got another parrot (different breed) because it took me a long time to get over the loss of my beloved bird. But not only that, I didn't want just any bird........and I found the one who was meant for our family. 


Good luck. Keep your options open. My advice is rather than giving yourself a time-frame, be open to seeing the puppies of reputable breeders sooner as opposed to later. You may be surprised at how one little sweetheart may win your heart......and be meant for you.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.


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## inlovewithhav (Feb 18, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss. There are several wonderful breeders on here. I would just read as much as you can about breeders so that you can spot a bad one when you look at their website or speak with them. Also a good place to look is petfinders.com, you will save a havanese but won't have papers, my baby was from a shelter and I wouldn't trade him for the world.


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## tcollins (May 1, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss.


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## Narwyn (Jan 24, 2010)

Although no resources is perfect, Havanese Fanciers of Canada has a "Good Breeder? Bad breeder? How can I tell?" list to get you on the right track.

http://www.havanesefanciers.com/?q=choosingabreeder

I am sorry to hear about your loss. My old guy Clover is the same age - today is his half birthday in fact. Snuggling him a little bit extra close tonight for us both.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

I am so sorry for your loss. Maybe as you spend time on this forum you will see a face you love and can find out who the breeder is. Lots of good info here.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Sorry to read of your loss. Even when we try to prepare for the loss it always hurts, its like the sun went away. Someday you will be ready and there is not such a thing as a time limit on these things it can be short or longer...just don't let it be forever. The heart is never full there is always room for one more.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

West End Girl said:


> Bottom line.....word of mouth based on reputable experiences by others. Avoid those who don't do health testing or tell you that they have no puppies but their "friend" does. RED FLAG


Hi Pam, I agree with everything you said except this. This is VERY common. Although I know that your family has been through a lot as a result of Lola not being properly health tested, this is NOT a result of being referred to another breeder. There are some very good breeders who might only have a litter or two a year; sometimes less. If that is the case, someone might have to be on a waiting list for a very long time to get a puppy. If that breeder knows of another, reputable breeder who has or will have puppies available, why not refer the potential customer?

The thing to remember is that a referral from another breeder does NOT mean that you can safely assume that everything is fine. I would still do all my due-diligence in terms of checking on all health testing, meeting the breeder and seeing how the puppies are raised, meeting the parents, and getting references. Heck, I was paranoid enough that I paid for a trainer to go with me and check out the puppies! Now that I know my breeder, that seems seems like over-kill. But this was my first time buying a puppy, and I didn't want to make any mistakes.

Getting someone you trust, who is very experienced with pure bred dogs (not necessarily Havanese) isn't a bad idea if you are doing this for the first time. My friend was often able to sort the wheat from the chaff of breeders just by looking at websites or talking to them on the phone. I didn't have the experience to do that.


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## Narwyn (Jan 24, 2010)

krandall said:


> Hi Pam, I agree with everything you said except this. This is VERY common. Although I know that your family has been through a lot as a result of Lola not being properly health tested, this is NOT a result of being referred to another breeder. There are some very good breeders who might only have a litter or two a year; sometimes less. If that is the case, someone might have to be on a waiting list for a very long time to get a puppy. If that breeder knows of another, reputable breeder who has or will have puppies available, why not refer the potential customer?
> 
> The thing to remember is that a referral from another breeder does NOT mean that you can safely assume that everything is fine. I would still do all my due-diligence in terms of checking on all health testing, meeting the breeder and seeing how the puppies are raised, meeting the parents, and getting references. Heck, I was paranoid enough that I paid for a trainer to go with me and check out the puppies! Now that I know my breeder, that seems seems like over-kill. But this was my first time buying a puppy, and I didn't want to make any mistakes.
> 
> Getting someone you trust, who is very experienced with pure bred dogs (not necessarily Havanese) isn't a bad idea if you are doing this for the first time. My friend was often able to sort the wheat from the chaff of breeders just by looking at websites or talking to them on the phone. I didn't have the experience to do that.


I second this. It's extremely common for very reputable breeders to refer someone to someone else they know and trust. As Karen also said, it's completely the puppy buyer's responsibility to thoroughly vet the referred-to breeder.

I would not consider a friendly referral ANY kind of red flag in and of itself. In fact, many show breeders know other show breeders... many Back-Yarders or Mills as isolated from their "competition."


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