Welcome to Gilwood
We are Robin Gillespie and Buddy Wood.
We're located west of Gainesville, Florida
We breed AKC havanese for showing, therapy work, obedience, agility and rally but most importantly, for wonderful companions. We use the AKC havanese breed standard as our guide so our dogs look and act like those havanese you've fallen in love with.
In 2000 we got our first havanese and fell head over heels in love. Now there's no turning back.
When looking for our first havanese we were asked if we wanted to show and breed....something that had never crossed our minds before. We thought about it (not fully understanding all the implications) and our addiction started.
Bella was that havanese. She stole our hearts. She was our alpha dog, she ruled our roost for all 14.5 years of her life.
Little did we know that we'd eventually be making plans to have many more fill our home with love and lots of laughter and joy.
It's been one hell of a learning experience. What we originally thought would be simple has been nothing but amazing.
We honestly did not see this coming. They have become our passion.
A 1992 Cuban postage stamp celebrating that country's only purebred dog, the Bichon Habanero, known in the US as the Havanese. The above dog is the first Cuban Champion Havanese "Puppy".
Please keep in mind that even though we happen to think the havanese breed is spectacular, they aren't the perfect dog for every person or lifestyle. Yes, they are truly wonderful companions but they do require more than the average amount of attention and grooming. These little characters don't do well if left alone for extended periods of time and need to be an integral part of the family in order to thrive. (Separation anxiety is not unheard of in this breed.)
They are very intelligent and can charm the hardest of hearts.
Also... please do your research on the havanese breed, their characteristics and other issues (such as health issues) that can a do affect them before you bring that adorable bundle of fluff home. Don't hesitate to ask questions of breeders. It's better to be forearmed with knowledge than be sorry after the fact.
2002-2017
Dory was the foundation of Gilwood Havanese. She brought love and joy to our home for more than 14 years.
We were so fortunate to have her grace our lives.
Her kids, grand kids, great and great-great grandkids are continuing to bring her glorious coat and elegant look to the havanese world.
In 2001 we became members of the Havanese Club of America.
We are an AKC Breeder of Merit.
****WE WILL NOT SHIP PUPPIES****
You can email Robin at gilwood@bellsouth.net or
call Buddy at 352-474-0993. He loves to talk about our dogs.