The Best Kept Secret in the Dog World
If I had a dollar for every time I was asked what kind of dogs my Boykin Spaniels are I'd be rich! These little brown dogs with the amber colored eyes never fail to attract attention, "Boinking Spaniels?" I am asked to confirm, I shake my heads and enunciate more clearly, Boykin Spaniels, B-O-Y-K-I-N. It is pretty hard for dog lovers and dog aficionados to believe there is a breed they aren't familiar with or haven't really seen, but Boykin Spaniels are the best kept secret in the dog world. Boykin Spaniels aren't even exotic; they are an American breed developed in South Carolina.I quickly add that the Boykin Spaniel is the state dog of South Carolina. I am certain it helps people to remember the breed when they look it up on the Internet, but other times it just further confuses people. "States have State Dogs?" I have to admit the whole state dog concept was a new one on me too. In fact the Boykin Spaniel is the state dog of South Carolina, according to the American Kennel Club website, the Boykin Spaniel was made the official state dog in 1985 with the passage of Act number 31. But the Boykin Spaniel is not the only breed to achieve official state dog status in the United States; Texas has the Blue Lacy, Wisconsin has the American Water Spaniel, Pennsylvania has the Great Dane, Virginia has the American foxhound, North Carolina has the Plott Hound, Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay retriever, and Massachusetts has the Boston Terrier, and Louisiana has the Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, according to the official state mammals website on netstate.com
When people see Boykin Spaniels they usually guess a Cocker Spaniel, but a Boykin Spaniel is bigger. People also guess the Boykin Spaniel is an American Water Spaniel but Boykin Spaniels tends to be smaller. More than one person has asked me if the Boykin Spaniel was a miniature Irish setter, I checked the breed doesn't exist. I can see the confusion because the Boykin Spaniel's liver coat can be rich chocolaty brown with reddish mahogany highlights.
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