Havana Dog Names

The Havanese named Emmanuel, for a name in the Bible that translates to "God with us," is called Manny for short. Manny won big at the Havanese Club of America National Specialty show. Manny is owned by Tracey Rives of Montgomery, Alabama. The Havanese Club of America holds its National Specialty show in different cities each year and hundreds of pure-bred, AKC registered Havanese flock to these shows vying for top honors. The Havanese National Specialty show was held August 1-6, 2016 in Orlando, Florida; Rives and Manny travelled from Montgomery, Alabama hoping for a good showing while at the National Specialty. Manny strutted his stuff all the way to the front of his class and then went on to win Best of Breed. This is definitely a high honor for any dog, but what makes Manny super special is that he was only 19 months old when he won at the Havanese National Specialty. During the National Specialty, Manny competed against 87 non-champion and 48 champion Havanese.

When Rives was gifted with her first Havanese in 2005 by her husband as a Christmas present, she had no intention of ever stepping foot in the show ring. However, having shown horses in her younger years, Rives thought it would be nice to take the plunge and show a dog. Manny was the first dog she ever showed. Rives knew Manny was special; especially when she watched him move. Manny also has a fabulous coat for a Havanese puppy. At just 10 months of age, Manny was already an AKC champion. A Havanese must win a total of 15 points to be awarded their championship; they must have also beaten a certain number of dogs twice under different judges. After earning his championship, he began working towards his grand championship. To earn a grand championship a Havanese must earn 25 points. Many dogs are not handled in the show ring by their actual owners, but instead, are taken in by professional handlers. A professional handler is a person that earns a living showing dogs across the country. Manny, however, does not need a professional handler to win. He is shown by Rives. Aside from being handled by Rives, Manny is also groomed solely by her and it takes about three hours to properly groom him for the show ring. Rives describes herself as an amateur in the dog show world and was absolutely stunned when Manny won big at the Havanese Club of America National Specialty show in 2016.