Outside the First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, sometime around 1905, a small spaniel-type dog was noticed by banker Alexander L. White after Sunday services. White adopted the dog and named him Dumpy. He discovered the little spaniel had a penchant for retrieving.

White turned Dumpy over to his hunting partner, Whit Boykin, who knew much more about dog training than White did. His unfortunate name aside, Dumpy became an excellent turkey dog and waterfowl retriever, and was the forerunner of the Boykin spaniel lineage known today.

That part of the story of the Boykins’ origin is consistent in historical accounts. From there the details vary. Some say Dumpy might have run away from a circus that passed through town. Some say White left the church services to beat the crowd; others say he left early to see if he could find the little brown dog he spotted on his way in. Hot debate has also centered around which church Dumpy attended—First Presbyterian or First Methodist.

The next part of the story is clear. Whit Boykin bred Dumpy to Singo—a small, reddish brown, curly coated female with strong hunting qualities and indeterminate breeding. From there Boykin outcrossed the lines primarily with springer spaniels, Chesapeake Bay retrievers, American water spaniels, Brittany spaniels, and American cocker spaniels…

This is an excerpt from the August-September 2015 issue.