Get to know us
Hello, my name is Tatum. My husband, Caleb, and I are the owners of Butterfly Butte Australian Cattle Dogs. Throughout the years we have owned many animals and currently call several dogs, cats, and horses apart of our family. We often enjoy going for trail rides, camping with our dogs, and participating in dog sports. Growing up around animals, we both have always had a passion for working with them. I spent my childhood wanting to become a veterinarian and actually took 4 years of Vet Med courses, before deciding it was not the career for me, while Caleb volunteered with many local wildlife rescue/rehabilitation centers. Thankfully, it was during this time that I met my sweet husband and just a few years later we decided to get our first dog together. We ended up getting an Australian Cattle Dog, Roo, who fueled my passion for working with this breed.
We have lived all over the valley and in Arizona our whole lives, and I come from a long line of Arizona natives. My family is from the Navajo Reservation, and a short distance from my ancestral home there is a hill called Butterfly Butte that has seen the footprints of my family, and my people, for generations. Our kennel name is in homage to that.
After many years spent loving this breed, learning, and researching, we made the decision to follow our passion to train and breed cattle dogs. We strive to not only breed dogs that are hardworking and driven, yet gentle and loving, but to also produce healthy dogs with sound minds and solid genetics. We practice genetic testing through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to ensure that the quality of the breed and offspring remains uncompromised. We use Embark and Orivet to test our dogs DNA for genetically inherited diseases, and we screen for hip & elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, congenital deafness, eye disease, and cardiac disease. All results are recorded and viewable on the OFA website. This is the only way we can successfully promote a healthy future for our ACD's. It is not a guarantee of perfection, but it does lower the percentage of deafness, blindness, and unsoundness in our future generations. These dogs are family members first and foremost, and healthy, happy dogs are our main priority.
See our "Genetic testing" page for more information about the OFA and inherited diseases within the breed.
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