"Every purebred animal has evolved in the specific form best suited to perform its particular job. The Boykin Spaniel is no exception. The story of the Boykin Spaniel is the story of the need for a capable hunting spaniel that fit into a boat as well as into the lives of their families.
It started with a brown spaniel-type dog that was found outside a church in Spartanburg after service by Mr. Alexander Lawrence White (1860-1942) sometime between 1905-1910. The dog was named "Dumpy", but showed some aptitude for hunting. Mr. White took the dog to his friend, Mr. Lemuel Whitaker "Whit" Boykin (1861-1932) for training.
Whit Boykin lived in the the Wateree River basin located in the midlands of South Carolina. The post-Civil War economy lead well-to-do Northerners to make the Camden area their winter home. Whit Boykin provided dogs to the vacationers to hunt the Wateree swamp areas using "section boats". Dumpy filled a roll sought after; he was an excellent hunting dog in a size smaller than a retriever. Thus the Boykin Spaniel became known as the breed that wouldn't "rock the boat".
Whit Boykin bred Dumpy with a female dog described as a small curly, reddish-brown spaniel-type found in an unclaimed crate at the Camden railroad station. Whit named the female "Singo" and thus the Boykin Spaniel breed was created. Speculation on this female's breed has continued to this day; it is reasonable to believe she was a hunting breed since shipping dogs to this area of the country would be limited to only those with a purpose.
The breed prospered over the years. Many puppies became loyal, loving pets and were shipped back home with the vacationing families when the hunt season was over. Many breeds were continually introduced into the Boykin Spaniel to eventually form a dog whose genetic background is a diverse melting pot.
About 6 decades after Dumpy was first found in Spartanburg a breed registry was formed. Their mission was to document the breed in a registry to encourage breeding of purebred Boykins, and ultimately obtain national recognition in a recognized organization such as UKC and AKC." (Boykin Spaniel Club)
