Cynthia Huff with GCHB Safari’s Tempest being awarded the Best of the Best. been very exciting from when he won his first NOHS BIS, to his becoming #4 all-breeds NOHS in 2017, to his garnering an AOM and Best Bred by Exhibitor at the AKC Invitational that same year with multiple SBIS and RBIS along the way with Sharon Sbovoda handling him for a couple of the latter. The most recent highly meaningful win is handling Engels’ daughter, GCHB. Safari’s Tempest, to win the Best of the Best, an all-breed award given to the dog who beats the greatest number of dogs over three shows, and which I didn’t even realize she was in contention for until the second show. Which Poodles have left the best impression on you? Tell us about the best sires – one owned by you and one owned by someone else that you feel have left the best mark on the breed? Of the dogs I’ve bred, Engels is the sire who’s been the most influential not only because he’s produced an identifiable type and construction that’s won worldwide but also because he’s been a “safe” sire genetically. It’s difficult to name one sire not owned by me who’s most left his mark on the breed as there have been so many great ones, but CH. Avatar Concord stands out since he’s been so influential worldwide. Did you have a mentor when you started? My mentor as a teenager was Katherine Kincaid who gave me our foundation bitch, Gazelle, but I also learned a lot from Ted Young, the famous Cocker handler and Miniature Poodle breeder, when I spent a summer at his kennel. Who taught you to groom? Katherine Kincaid originally taught me how to groom Poodles but the influences over the years have been numerous and include many, many professional handlers and major breeder/owner handlers who have been kind enough to offer suggestions. I’m an ongoing student when it comes to grooming. Who is the one Poodle person, past or present, that you would like to breed a litter with and would consider an expert? This is another hard question as there are so many knowledgeable people in Standard Poodles. But picking one person I would name Ann Cambray Coppage of Vulcan Champagne fame precisely because she is a true student of the breed and has breed memory that extends from the 1950s to the present and encompasses Poodles in Great Britain as well as internationally. My dream would be for us to select any pair from that expanse of time and space. Is there anything you would change with Poodles today and what’s your pet peeve (heads, tails, feet, owners, lol)? My major pet peeves are unbalanced Poodles who, as a result, look like caricatures both standing and moving but whom many people incorrectly think are flashy and typey. Poodles need to have well-51 January-March 2025 • POODLE VARIETY
Poodle Variety Magazine January-March 2025 January – March 2025: Page 51
