Safari puppy playing in Little Tykes Activity Center. Joel Haefner winning with GCH. Safari’s Speakeasy under Eugene Blake. business involved in a breeding program. I couldn’t do all the work that’s involved without him. I read somewhere that you got your first Poodle 53 years ago, is this true? When did you get your first Poodle? Actually, it’s now 59 years ago. I got my first Standard Poodle in 1964 and did show her some but our foundation bitch, Ch. Kayjon’s Gazelle, was a present from her breeder on my sixteenth birthday. You have had some incredible wins over the years, how many champions have you made up over the years and tell us a little about some of the wins you have had. We’ve bred 193 Standard Poodle champions with the majority finishing in the US but others being made up worldwide, including Korea, Mexico, Denmark, and England. Kay Palade Peiser, winning an all-breed Best in Show with “Ruby” (CH. Safari’s Eclipse) was definitely exciting for the whole family, as was Terri Meyers winning all-breed Best in Shows with both GCHS. Safari’s This Side of Paradise and GCHS Safari’s Belle de Jour at Jucarta. But even more meaningful have been the big wins when I showed the Poodles myself, especially if they were under judges whose opinions I respected, such as Jean Lyle. She had the reputation of not liking white but apparently that wasn’t the case when she awarded Ch. Safari’s Christobel WB, BW at the 1978 PCA Regional. 50 Later I won my first SBIS under her with Ch. Safari’s Solange, also white. Winning an Award of Merit under Frank Sabella at PCA in 2000 handling Ruby was another high; when he told Annie Clark how beautiful she was, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I was also extremely proud to have handled Am./Greek CH. Safari’s S Saboteur to a Best in Show in Greece in 1995 under Carlos Renau who praised his quality. Other wins that have meant a lot to me are showing Ch. Safari’s Mirage to Best in Show from the classes to finish her championship and then later making her a multiple Best in Show bitch myself. Of course, the extensive winning Engels (GCHG Safari’s Subversion) and I accomplished has Mary K. Huff, co-breeder/owner of Ch. Safari’s Solange, who was awarded a SBIS by judge Jean Lyle with co-breeder Cynthia Huff handling. January-March 2025 • POODLE VARIETY
Poodle Variety Magazine January-March 2025 January – March 2025: Page 50
