Sandy & Kevin Mccabe | Heartland Havanese

Interview with Sandy & Kevin Mccabe, Breeders of Heartland Havanese

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. What are the hallmarks of your breed and why are they important for maintaining breed type?
3. In your opinion, are there enough puppy homes to support breeding a litter this year?
4. How have you implemented new technologies in science and communications as a breeder?
5. In your community, have you noticed a change in the public’s perception of purebred dogs?
6. Have you noticed any trends in the sport? Anything to be concerned about?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport in recent years?

Sandy & Kevin Mccabe

1. My husband, Kevin McCabe, and I have been in dogs for 31 years, starting in Labrador Retrievers, and for the last 27 years we have been showing and breeding Havanese. Our kennel name in both breeds is Heartland. We have two homes, one in Iowa and the second is in Florida; we live most of the time in Florida. We were breeders in both Labradors and Havanese at one time and have produced Best in Show dogs in both breeds.

2. Hallmarks of both of these breeds are very similar. I would say a Havanese is like a Labrador Retriever except the Havanese is a smaller breed; they don’t bark that much and don’t shed their coat. To keep the breed type in a Havanese you need to have correct shoulder layback, which gives them the neck they need for correct movement; the neck is moderate in length. The topline is straight and raises slightly from the withers to the croup. When moving, the head should be carried up high; with correct shoulder layback the head will naturally carry up high.

3. In my opinion, we do not have that many pet homes. We are now getting pet people who are wanting a pet to breed, and we do not sell dogs on full registration to pet people. They are sold on limited registration. I am breeding a litter this year, but it will be the only litter we have.

4. In the last few years, we have been using new technologies to see which dogs are carrying for coat color and to make for sure we do not carry curly coats. We want to make sure that our dogs are not producing any faults.

5. I do feel that, in our community, there is some change in what people think about purebred dogs. We are always talking about our dogs and their winning at dog shows. People get to see our purebred dogs and can ask questions. We also talk about the health clearances we do before breeding. I have had many people interested in talking about our show dogs. So, it’s a learning process on Facebook where many people go for information.

6. A trend that we have noticed is that, since puppies are harder to place, breeders are not having as many puppies. So, the show rings have fewer dogs entered and it is getting harder to find majors.

7. One positive thing is the numbers were lowered for points, and as breeders, we are hoping people will be interested in getting puppies; that the interest gets a little stronger.