The History Behind South Carolina's State Dog

Posted By Gracen Tilton @ Aug 15th 2022 5:32pm In: 1998 03 13 SC Real Estate

In the early 1900s, South Carolina hunters on the Wateree River needed a dog that could retrieve on land + in water & was small enough to fit in boats during river travel. 

In the town of Camden, southerner, L. W. “Whit” Boykin experimented with selective breeding to produce the ideal companion. Little did he know, he had stumbled upon the South’s best-kept secret, at least as far as dogs are concerned. 

The Boykin Spaniel is the only dog that was originally bred by South Carolinians and since the origin of the breed in the early twentieth-century, the Boykin Spaniel has proven to be a crackerjack retriever, remarkable trick artist, and a family favorite.


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