Join the Boykin Spaniel Rescue Volunteers!

"You become responsible forever for what you have tamed." Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Maybe you had a Boykin Spaniel growing up and recall the fond memories of companionship. Perhaps there’s a little brown dog at your feet right now dreaming dreams of milkbones and long walks and you’re thinking to yourself , "How could anyone neglect or abuse a little friend like this?" Maybe you’re looking to give something back to the little dog who’s brought so much joy into your home. Whatever your motivation, you’ve decided to become one of our Boykin Spaniel Rescue Volunteers

GREAT! We need your help! There are several ways you can help the cause:

These are just a few of the many ways we can all pitch in to help our little brown friends. Rescue is very rewarding and a great way to ‘give something back’ to your breed, so we’ve tried to make it easy for you to get started and get the word out about BSR. Remember:

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt

Here are some tips on how to get started:

The Vet Connection

Okay, first things first. Get in touch with the local veterinary offices in your area. This is most easily done with a direct mailing to all your local vets introducing yourself and BSR. In it we explain what exactly BSR is and we ask for donations of services, shots, and spaying/neutering for any Boykins found in the area that require veterinary attention. This serves two purposes – it lets professionals know we’re out there and gets some local, reliable medical assistance if we ever need it. You never know if a vet may have a client who is trying to place a Boykin, or even trying to obtain one.

One such direct mail campaign in Northern Virginia consisted of a letter to the vet, the Boykin Spaniel breed standard, a BSR brochure, and a reply card that the vet could check off for any services he would be willing to donate at no cost or reduced cost. The total mailing cost was about $40.00, and the volunteers in that area have a ready supply of vets to call upon if they have a dog in need.

There are several easy ways to find the vets in your area. Yellow pages are a good place to start. There are some super Web resources to help locate vet offices - www.bigbook.com is a yellow pages guide on the Web. Often the phone book or Web listings don’t have zip codes in their databases - never fear! The US Postal Service site: www.usps.gov has a handy tool that allows you to put in the address and get the proper zip codes.

Contacting area vets is a great project for older kids and teens who might wish to do some easy volunteer work on behalf of the family pet (who already shows gratitude daily) and with an eye towards making those college applications look good!

Who’s Who in Animal Rescue

This is one of a rescue volunteer’s most important jobs--little brown lives are on the line! Locate your area humane societies, county and city animal shelters, and private animal rescue groups and let them know BSR is in the area. Become familiar with their policies - are they a kill/no-kill facility? What are their policies regarding the animals’ length of stay on their site? On what days do they euthanize? Do they have a quarantine for dogs that first arrive? Do they have a vet on site? Offer to pick up any Boykin Spaniel that arrives in their facility (most will allow you to for no cost; you’re already saving them valuable kennel space, food & labor ). Most shelters already work with various breed-specific rescue groups, so they should be very open to working with BSR. Know your BSR policies before going to visit so you have quick answers to any questions they might ask you. Some shelters can be peculiar about who they deal with—they too have the dog’s best interests at heart so don’t be offended if they ask questions about us—they usually just want to make sure we aren’t a puppy mill or worse!

Many people don’t know what a Boykin Spaniel is or what it looks like. It’s often helpful to make an appointment with the key contacts in each organization and bring along a "demo dog" - usually your own Boykin-- so folks can take a good look. Make copies of the breed standard and rescue brochures and hand them out. Check back with the shelters and humane societies regularly to be sure no Boykin has come in unnoticed; once these organizations have had several contacts with you they will soon remember the "Boykin people" if a Boykin ends up in their facility.

When the call comes that a Boykin has been taken in by a shelter, take action fast! We want the shelters to know BSR is a responsive, efficient organization. Contact your nearest BSR Volunteer and let him/her know the basics on the dog. Arrange to pick up the dog and foster it yourself, or team up with a local BSR foster family that is willing to foster the dog.

When you visit shelters, ask if they have a list of other animal rescue organizations in the area. Contact the leaders of those groups and let them know what BSR is, and offer to help them out when a Boykin comes their way. They will be grateful for the extra hand and you can rest assured you have thoroughly ‘covered the bases’ for Boykins in your area!

The Boykin Express

It would truly be a perfect world if a Boykin in a rescue foster home in Columbia SC could look forward to a family that was just on the other side of town waiting to adopt her. While we always find the perfect homes for our rescue dogs, sometimes the ideal situation is in another city, state or region of the country. We need volunteers who are willing to help transport dogs and make up the Boykin Express, uniting formerly unwanted pups with their new, excited families! Would you be willing to drive to a nearby city and shuttle a dog? Can you transport a Boykin while on your way to or from a family vacation? Even a reliable family member or friend who can help you get a dog closer to his final destination can be a great benefit. If you are in the position that you cannot devote a lot of time to Rescue—the Boykin Express could be your niche in our system!

Gimme Shelter…

If you agree with Peanuts creator Charles Schultz that, "Happiness is a warm, soft puppy", then this is the facet of volunteering you will love most! We need foster families! It’s just fine if you’re a family of one, a family of six or if the other members of your family have more legs than you do. We often have neglected or stray Boykins that need a more stable environment, and your version of "normal" is just perfect!

As a ‘foster parent’ you’ll observe your new little canine ward, evaluating temperament, behavior patterns, favorite toys, etc. Its your job to keep this little guy well fed, clean, and safe until he is placed with a new family. A little love is OK too! ALL Boykins in the BSR program are evaluated before placement—and make no mistake: you don’t need a vet degree to be able to do it! During that time try to socialize the dog to new situations. Assess the dog--is he good around children? Does she show aggression when you take away her food? Does she know any commands like "sit", "stay" or "come"? Does he shrink back when you try to pet him (a common sign of past abuse)? As a foster parent, it’s helpful to write down this information to pass on to the eventual adopting family. We once had a new owner call his dog’s previous foster family to ask if it was "typical" for his little dog to follow her master into the bathroom or whine at the door to be let in. The same behavior was indeed observed at the foster home--even dogs have their quirks!

Brag

We mean it! Strut your stuff--take your Boykin Spaniel everywhere with you. To outdoor festivals, on walks around town, to the local coffee shop, to the pet store – just show ‘em off. At a recent waterfowl art exhibition, one Boykin owner joked, "You’re never alone for long if you have a Boykin with you." It’s true! People invariably stop to pet your little furry pride and joy and ask, "What kind of dog is that?" Often the conversation turns to, "My daughter/neighbor/cousin, etc. would *love* a dog like that." It’s a possible lead for a new Boykin owner! Swap cards and get addresses to send more information. If you have one handy, give out a BSR brochure. They might be the next adopting family for that wonderful little pound pup another volunteer just found in Mississippi, or Dallas or Washington or Atlanta or…

His name is not wild dog anymore, but the first friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.

Rudyard Kipling, "Just-So Stories"

We hope you’re motivated and ready to get started. Feel free to contact you nearest BSR Volunteer if you have any questions. The more volunteers we have, the easier it is for all of us—and the dogs involved!

If you have already decided you would like to join the BSR team, please download the Volunteer Form and mail to our Volunteer Coordinator at the address provided on the form. Once your application is approved, we'll look forward to putting you to work!

BSR Home