The lovely, fluffy Dafne is an apricot standard poodle that hails from Chris Bailey’s Jaset Poodles in California. She is co-owned between Caroline Hilliard of Steadfast Dogs and Cherie Perks of Arreau Red Standard Poodles.

Dafne arrived from California on April 8^th, 2021, and has worked hard under Caroline’s careful love and tutelage to achieve her Championship as of December 28^th, 2021. She is a well mannered, gentle and patient poodle with as much love as the fluff shows in her puppy show photos.

One of the difficulties in providing service dogs to people looking for one is finding the right dog for the job. There is a large demand for service dogs, however not enough dogs that are suited to work in public. The waiting lists for different providers are long and the process can be gruelling. It’s for this reason that Caroline and Cherie are working together to create a line of working standard poodles to help reduce the wait time for people requiring service dogs. While poodles need to be groomed, once their coat is cut right down the maintenance is minimal. As a bonus, the non-shedding fur means less household maintenance and allergic reactions.

Why not get a shelter dog for service work? There are many things to consider. To find out more about dogs used in service work, please click here.

Showing a poodle has some struggles, as their show fur is quite high maintenance and they require much grooming and upkeep. Dafne initially wasn’t thrilled to be a show dog because of it. Despite this, she rose to the challenge and with grace and confidence, and her championship speaks for itself – she is a beautiful example of standard poodle, and we’re excited to continue her line of healthy, well mannered poodles! She will also be continuing to add working titles to her name.

Dafne is a perfect Velcro puppy who loves her mum, but is also friendly with others who have cookies or who might save her from bath time. She’s attentive and confident with an unmatched joy for life and fun. Despite the pampered groomed look she sports, she also loves a good roll in the dirt. She is smart and loves the attention she gets while she is working, as well as in her downtime. She’s happy to leap into your arms, but as a growing, silly puppy would sometimes forget where her long legs were and landed an elbow into the ribs. She is always quick to apologize with kisses, though. She now leaps into your arms when asked – which gives the catcher time to prep for the flying floof!

While she has worked hard for her titles, her work is far from over. She helps her mum around the house and works as a mobility service dog at home. She takes deep pressure therapy very seriously, whether you want it or not. This intense therapy work has earned her the nickname “The Freight Train of Love”. She won’t be trained for public access, but between home life and puppy raising, she has plenty of things to keep her engaged and fulfilled. She has many adventures to share, and we’re excited to share them with you.