But Havanese-lovers like Amador, who has been raising dogs for over three decades, face challenges from shortages of shampoos and conditioners, used to preserve the animals’ silky fur, as well as other key goods such as food and medicine.

“It is difficult to raise this animal because it bathes every four days,” she said, as she prepares her dog Gucci for a national competition. “If I miss this, its fur becomes knotty and the dog could get fleas or ticks.”

Amador said breeding the expensive dog in a country in the throes of a financial crisis required a “great sacrifice”. The dog – considered the island’s national breed – was popular among Cuban aristocrats before the Fidel Castro-led 1959 revolution.

Evelio Fernandez, president of the Cuban Bichon Havanese club, told Reuters the association currently counts over 1,400 Havanese, and that the dog was officially recognised as Cuban in 2016.

The bichons can be found in Argentina, Mexico, Canada and the United States, and have been the pets of many who were affluent enough to support its needs.

These include Queen Victoria of England, writers Charles Dickens and Ernest Hemingway – who owned a farm in Havana – and, more recently, the late talk-show host Barbara Walters.