Living Life with Little Brown Dogs
by Stan Jaros
Our first introduction to the Boykin breed was at our local Animal Control Department. Long story of how we ended up with this guy. Shorter version: he was in a dark cage with another dog that dwarfed him, all I could see were “golden” eyes. Couldn’t even tell the color of his coat due to the darkness of the facility. Inquired what kind of dog he was and we were told “a Boykin.” Neither my wife nor I had ever heard of the breed, but we offered to walk him for a bit. Thats all it took. Within fifteen minutes we fell in love with this boy.
We named him Simon. Simon remained with us for about ten years, when sadly we lost him to cancer in July of 2015. We were heartbroken as Simon had been the best dog ever. And everyone that had met him loved him as much.
Our lives now filled with sadness, our eyes poured tears, not sure where all that water came from. We missed our boy so much.
My decision was to not get another dog for a while, my wife Lee had other plans. After about a month or so she began looking. We looked at many different breeds, but could settle on none.
Then one day Lee came across the Boykin Spaniel Rescue. We looked at the website found a few dogs that would might fit us. Did all the applications, passed our home visit and now we were ready. Just didn’t find the right pup. Seems the ones we were interested in were no longer available. Someone suggested Operation Little Brown Dog. Didn’t take long until she fell in love with Charlie, now Flynn.
Did paperwork and got approved. Flynn was still available. The fosters were very accommodating to send photos and videos and even began calling him Flynn. So in November 2015 it was off to South Carolina. Driving from Little Rock, Arkansas arrangements were made for overnight stays, both going and coming. Felt it would be quite a long ride for Flynn.
Flynn was not a full Boykin, he was a mix. Thought first maybe Boykin and Aussie, but since have settled on Boykin and Springer Spaniel.
Flynn was with us for just a short few months when Lee was introduced to another Boykin. A female that had been a breeder bitch for like nine years and rescued by Operation Little Brown Dog. Lee fell in love with her photo and offered to adopt her when she was ready to leave her fosters. We were approved to adopt, so February 2016 found us on another road trip. We named her Penny. Now the fun began. Flynn who had the run of the house for a few short months claimed ownership of our home. As laid back as he is it wasn’t long before he and Penny were at odds. Him asserting his claim to all things, her fighting for her rights to ownership. Ugh! It was simply amazing how things transpired. Flynn and Penny seemingly getting along and then out of the blue it was an eruption of two little brown bodies. Well Flynn wasn’t little, he outweighed her by twenty pounds. That did not stop this little thirty pound brown fur ball. She fought back with a vengeance. The final round ended with us having to push a chair between the two.
At this point, honestly we had thoughts of “what did we get ourselves into.” Had considered giving the girl up. We just weren’t sure we could continue to deal with the fighting and were very concerned about one getting injured. We gave it some time.
Flashback: Flynn was already living up to the “destroykin” tag. The boy is such a chewer. He can destroy the toughest toy in minutes. Destroyed a few chair cushions, a dog (expensive) bed and numerous other items. We crated him at night until one night he flat refused to go into his crate. We weren’t believers in crating as Simon never spent time in a crate. Simon was so good, he slept in our den at night and never destroyed a thing. So we decided to leave Flynn out and give him the same free reign we had given Simon. Each night he managed to destroy something on Lee’s side table. Bless he heart, he ate her list of user names and passwords:) The straw that broke the preverbal camels back was when he chewed up her favorite ball pen. That night Lee decided the boy was going to sleep in our room.
Fast Forward: Penny was accustomed to a crate so we continued with her being crated at night. Each night after their last potty break she would come in, run down the hall and into her crate. She knew it was treat time. We would tell her good night, shut off the lights and all was well. In the morning she was the sweetest girl. Coming out of her crate, greeted her big brother and the day began. All was going so well. Then one night, maybe out of jealousy of watching her brother follow us into the bedroom, she refused to go into her crate. So it was on that night she too joined us and Flynn in the bedroom.
Sleeping arrangements became a bit crowded so we were forced by the love of these two little brown dogs to upgrade to a king sized bed!
This breed, the Boykin Spaniel, will steal your heart. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
These two, Penny and Flynn, have created a bond. Not only to one another, but to Lee and I as well. It is fun to watch them in the yard, they run and frolic and chase balls. Each have their own toys and respects the others possessions. Let one stop and sniff a spot on the ground or fence and the other is quickly right there sniffing and investigating. Where there is one there is the other. Its just amazing of how well they have become best buds.
I’m not really sure how much more difficult it is to own a Boykin over any other breed. They all have their quirks and habits. The key is how you, the owner, deal with them. We’ve never hit them, I’ve threatened and surely have provided a light crack across the nose, but no hitting. For our two, a stern no sir or no ma’am quickly gets their attention. And a yell will have them head bowed for doing something that displeased us. They know these things, they just test your limits at times.
Our home is complete, two little brown dogs and three cats. All these critters came into this home at different times under different circumstances and for the most part all is calm, peaceful and friendly. Flynn and the youngest cat Gracie, probably now seven or eight, have a love hate relationship. One minute they’ll be nose to nose or sleeping butt to butt, the next she’s antagonizing him and they race through the house.
It all boils down to a lot of patience, love, care and understanding that they each have their own back story they cannot share. And most importantly PLAY TIME!!!!!!!
Living with “Little Brown Dogs” is definitely a challenge at times; let them be them and they will shower you with loyalty and love for all their days. Nothing is more wonderful then being greeted by a Boykin when you walk through the door.
Our mantra: A Tired Boykin is a Happy Boykin!!!!!!
Credits given to: Operation Little Brown Dog; The Damoude's; and the McNair's
