She is certainly known as one of the respectable and tough veteran broadcast journalists of ABS-CBN. In the almost three decades that she’s been working in the broadcast industry, she has indeed already proven her credibility and flair as a journalist. Nowadays, Karen Davila can be seen as the host of ANC’s morning talk show Headstart, one of the news anchors of TV Patrol during weeknights, and a vlogger as she puts up her own YouTube channel wherein she interviews popular and relevant personalities.
Despite being one of the most prominent figures on TV, we only know a little about her personal life, including her being a doting furmom to three adorable Havanese dogs, namely, Lexy, Choco, and Socks. And she proudly talked about them and the lovely relationship she has with them in the latest episode of Metro.Style’s “Pampered Pets”.
Before introducing them, Karen gave a little tour of their capacious and cozy condominium first, wherein their furbabies can freely run and play around. She then went on to impart that aside from being an art enthusiast, she has also been a dog lover ever since her younger years. Their family used to have huge dogs like German Shepherd and Labrador before, but when they moved to a condo, they decided to get a dog that is hypo-allergenic and cute.
However, they had no idea what breed they should get then, until they found Lexy at an animal shop in New York City during one of their vacations. She is a Havanese, which is the national dog of Cuba and its only native breed, and was originally called the Havana Silk Dog and Spanish Silk Poodle. Even though it came from the bichon family, it’s not a popular breed here in the Philippines.
Karen recalled that they immediately saw Lexy, who was 6 months old then, upon entering the store and instantly fell in love with her for an unknown reason. Now, Lexy is already almost 10 years old and has already given birth several times. Since having pets entails huge responsibility, they decided to give away her litters, except Socks, who is one of her first puppies. They also have Lexy’s “apo”, who’s a brown Havanese aptly called Choco.
When asked what she liked the most about having Havanese, she related that she finds their being curious adorable, and they’re also hypoallergenic and sheds minimally, so they don’t have to constantly vacuum the house. They also admire how naturally affectionate, needy, smart, and clingy, which means that they love to stay by the sides of their owners, as well as to be touched and held.
With regards to pampering them, they simply make sure that they take them to a grooming center once a week. For her, it’s also important that their house helpers are also dog lovers because dogs become livelier and healthier if they are in a pet-loving household. She also imparted that Socks may be the chubbiest, but he is actually sickly as he used to have months of treatment for his skin allergies caused by his weak immune system.
She reiterated: “I think, all kinds of dogs are lovely and it’s so easy to fall in love with a dog, actually if it’s your dog. But the Havanese is really a cute dog. It’s a cute puppy to have at home. Number one is the temperament, then the size, the fact that it’s hypoallergenic. They’re just playful and happy animals.”
Karen then went on to describe having dogs at home as “therapeutic” and “healing,” as well as makes her a happier person, especially whenever she’s sad or depressed. Seeing them looking at her with their puppy eyes lightens up her spirit and having them also teaches her more about unconditional love.
With the amount of love, attention, and time that Karen pour onto them, there’s no doubt that Lexy, Socks, and Choco are certified “Pampered Pets”!