My name is Auna Kaufmann, and I’m the face behind Aviary Bird Dogs. My kennel name comes both from my love of birds and my love of bird dogs! When I’m not hunting in the fall, I’m birdwatching throughout the year. Before I settled down in one place, I worked multiple seasonal jobs doing avian research. 

Waverly (Cimmaron’s Wind River Angel) is my first Brittany, who came home back in 2021. I was lucky enough to live near Christine Ward-Weber of Cimmaron Brittanys in Colorado, who allowed me to meet her dogs before I had fully settled on the breed, mentored me in my first ventures into the show world, and encouraged me every step of the way. Chris was a phenomenal mentor and left an indelible mark on us and the Brittany community. Chris passed away in the spring of 2025, and we’re still deeply saddened that we cannot share all of our exciting milestones with her now. After dabbling in a number of sports with Waverly, hunting behind her, testing in NAVHDA, getting some points in the show ring despite low entries, and completing all her health testing, we decided to take the leap into breeding.

We maintain the field drive of our bird dogs mainly through wild bird hunting and NAVHDA training and tests, as I prefer a closer ranging and more biddable hunting companion than many field trial breeders or handlers would select. To watch a well-trained field champion is a thing of beauty, but our goal is to produce versatile, close to medium ranging dogs that are as much a pleasure to live with and train as they are to hunt behind for the average foot hunter. To that end, I strive to breed for natural retrieves and dogs that handle well in the field at a moderate range. I also breed for myself, to produce my personal hunting dogs, and I admittedly do not enjoy bigger running dogs. We know that for most families, their bird dogs are companions first, so a temperament that supports that role is high on our priority list.

We believe that there is a place for everyone in dog sports and the hunting world, and would love to be a part of increasing the diversity of handlers or making room for new folks. We know that wading into hunting and the sporting dog world can be intimidating as a member of an underrepresented group, and that support can mean everything! As a lesbian who has worked on the conservation side of the hunting industry in the past, I have firsthand experience with how it can feel to be the only woman or the only queer person in the room. My goal is to make sure that happens less and less as time goes on! I participate in Her Upland, Artemis Sportswomen, and Wyoming Wildlife Federation hunting events and will soon be a certified hunter’s education instructor in Wyoming. If you have questions about learning to hunt, I would love to introduce you to my community.

I encourage you to reach out if you are new to the breed or interested in trying dog sports. For the right owner, Brittanys are a wonderful introduction into the world of hunt testing, field trialing, obedience, agility, or dog shows, whatever has caught your eye! I have found the breed community to be as welcoming and willing to teach as you are willing to learn, and the prominence of owner-handlers in the show ring makes them a wonderful breed to start out in the showing. I also deeply encourage companion homes to reach out! Our number one priority is that our puppies are loved and cared for, and Brittanys make great active family companions.

Aviary will likely always remain a small hobby program. I mainly enjoy working with and titling my own dogs and deepening my understanding of the breed, neither of which require frequent litters. I have no desire to own a large kennel and prefer not to deal with numerous co-owns.

This being said, I encourage you to reach out and inquire! I believe that it is important for healthy, temperamentally and physically correct dogs from ethical breeders to be more available to the public. I hope not to be a barrier to entry for anyone that hopes to get their next puppy from a knowledgeable, ethical breeder. I was lucky to have a breeder who was willing to help me try everything I set my mind to with Waverly, and I hope to do the same. If I do not have any litters planned within your timeline or my waitlist is abnormally full, I will be happy to direct you to any one of the many other programs that I know of in the Brittany community.

Remember, once you have an Aviary Brittany, you’re part of our family!

Active club memberships:

• American Brittany Club
• Skyline Brittany Club
• American Drentsche Patrijshond Association
• North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA International)
• Frontier NAVHDA

You can also follow us on Instagram @aviarybirddogs and @waverlyofthewinds