The Havanestie is a hybrid of the Havanese and the West Highland White Terrier. The hybrid is a designer dog that blends many of the best traits of both parents into a well-rounded companion with high confidence and a sweet nature. The Havanese’s Bichon ancestors left Europe during the 15th Century when its close cousin, the Maltese was gaining popularity outside of Italy and Malta. The Havanese took passage to the Americas onboard Spanish ships and settled in the Cuban Isles where the breed developed over several hundred years in near isolation. Slightly larger than its Bichon relatives, the Havanese faced near extinction during the 20th Century during and after the Cuban Revolution. Interest in the national breed suffered in Cuba, and only 11 Havanese dogs found refuge in the United States following the revolution. Today, almost all Havanese living outside of Cuba can trace its lineage back to the mid-20th Century refugees. Interest in the breed sparked again in the 1970s, and the American Havanese breeding program helped restore the breed. The American Kennel Club officially recognized the Havanese in 1996. The West Highland White Terrier, as its name suggests, is a Terrier dog of Scottish descent and shares a close history with other Scottish Terrier breeds including the Cairn Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont, the Skye, and the Scottish Terrier. This small earth dog is well-known for vermin hunting and gets its white coloring from a tragic story from the 19th Century in which Col. Malcolm Poltallach accidentally shot his wheaten-colored Westie believing it to be a fox. All future breeding focused on selecting the white coat. The American Kennel Club recognized the West Highland White Terrier as a separate breed from the other Scottish Terrier breeds in 1908.