Our goal is to raise $100,000. 


Thank you to our donors!
​As of today, we have raised $126,785.44!

CSP Family Foundation
The Southern Boykin Spaniel Club
Jim & Maureen Comer
Ivey Sumrell
Laurie Lombard
Phil Brown, in Honor of PFC Ruthie
Shari Krueger, in Honor of Ken & Bobbye Bowdon
Marti Marshall, in Memory of Bob Marshall
Phil & Karen Hinchman
Paul Kennedy
Gina G Smith, in Honor of Duncan
Beth Hallock
Kenneth Levra
Emmy Matson
​Tom Garbett, in Memory of Chase
Sharon Duncan, in Honor of Chance
Sarah Coates Falkner, In Memory of Fred Beck Coates, Jr.
​Linda Hill, in Memory of Peter, who loved Sully
Paul & Karen Yingling, for our awesome General Lee
​Paige Johnson, in Memory of our sweet Sadie
Christen & Larry Cooke
​Marvin Lee
Susan & Jay Faircloth, in Memory of our beloved Abby and in Honor of our little brown dog, Chase!
Susan Glenn, in Memory of Roger
Andrea Varesic
Kenneth & Sharon McConkey
Ken Sass, in Memory of Big Blue
Woodrow Travis, in Memory of Cooper
Victoria Heil
Gail Rogers, in Memory of Wynona Boykin Martin
Julie Winters, in Memory of Daisy & Rosebud
Ellen & Gary Horn, in Honor of Scout & Sophie
​Karen Rowley, in Memory of PFC Lilly
​Martha & David Cordell
Steve Trickett, in Memory of Chief & Doc Holliday
Ann & Larry Mitchell, in Memory of LBD Jack
Lisa & Jim Hilwig
Nancy Wilson
Susanna Hearn
Constance Watkins, in Honor of PFC Wilson and his brothers, Wyatt and Doc
Jimmy Kelly/Broadwater Seafood, in Memory of Cowboy
R. Churchill & Jo Curtis, in Honor of Porter & Ducky, Rainey & Cooper
Katherine Taft
Louis Sasso & Pamela Potter, in Honor of K & Colt
Debbie Davis, in Honor of Ramsey Lee
Jan Ferguson
Brian Laughlin
Jennifer Holder
Crystal McCall, in Memory of Sneetches
Dan & Gail Bruner
Cecile Tauzin
John Thomas
Nancy Frock
Barbara Taylor
Sutton Shaw
Brenda Hogge, in Memory of our Beautiful Abby
Gloria Hinrichs
Bill Poston
Mary & William Kempfer
Dale Reynolds, in Honor of Karen Holt
Beverly Bell, in Memory of Lizzie
Nancy Hearn, in Honor of Piper
James Latimer, Remembering Izzy & Ruben
​Michael & Karen Hendricks, in Honor of BellaBama Hendricks
Gina Bender, in Honor of Daisy Mae
Linda Jordan
Beth Albert
Joseph R Stute, in Honor of Gus & Burke
Anna & Ben Witten, in Honor of Hank our first BSR transport
Mary Senica
Heather Pickering
Frank & Nancy Kalivoda, In Memory of our beloved Gus and in Honor of our beautiful BSR Molly
Rick Segal
​Marnie Gibely
Harry Bartosik
Joanne Thompson DVM
Nancy Sikes
Midge Mercer
Inga Rogers, in Honor of Clint Everett
Diane Russell, in Memory of Lady & Hazard
Dee Sage, in Memory of Bosun
Will & Tracy Cullen
Fred Bruch
Nancy Burford, in Honor of Teddy
James & Maidee Spencer, in Honor of Flash
David Gill, in Memory of Morgan & Buddy
Gwyn Mellinger Auchard, in Honor of Eddy Bell
Derril Mackin, in Memory of Joshua Macon
DL Hart
J Carson & Norma Quarles
James Latimer
Barry Durden, in Memory of Stella
Barry & Diane Vorse, in Memory of Ryno & Brownie
Kitty & Henry Beard, in Honor of Lillie & Baynard Boykin
Kim Hebert
Palmer & Jackie Gourdin
Sarah Brown
Julia Elmendorf
Susan Gravely, in Memory of Woodrow & Newt
Phyllis Patrick, in Memory of Frank Sharp & in Honor of PFC Lou Bear and his fosters
Agnes Slayman
Emily Foster,  in Memory of Lady & Precious
Wendy Dowey
Memree Roberts, in Memory of Amos
Dennis & Mary Cook
Kathryn Ormsbee
Carol Mercer
Stan Hallam, in Memory of Drake
Kathleen Harrison
Frances Gosline
Kimberly Bushnell, in Memory of Hampton & Sardis
Michael Bailey
The Mehle Family, in Honor of Hershey, Miles & Copper
Christina Becerra
Gary Hunter
Richard Young, in Honor of Faith
​Katherine Sherron
John Reiser
Angela Pittard
Lesley Israel, in Honor & Memory of my Beloved Boykins
Karen Johnson, in Memory of BSR Maggie
Monk Schierberl
Carol Cleghorn, in Memory of Ella
Betsy Westerberg, in Honor of Mary Merritt Brown
Mike McMurry, in Memory of Jackson & in Honor of Beau
Linda Gurka, in Memory of Rebel
FC & Katherine Ormsbee
Beth Gonella, in Memory of John Gonella
Jane Thompson, in Memory of BSR Lucky & Milton Thompson and in Honor of all BSR volunteers
Greg Barker
Michelle & Tim Klares, in Memory of Chesse
Lynn Watson
John & Janice Nelson, in Memory of Pattie Rae & Piper Rose
Tom Crittendon
Charles & Margaret Goolsbee
McKeen Butler, in Honor of Benelli
Dr Randy Thomas, SE Veterinary Dermatology, in Memory of Handsome Harry and in Honor of Perry
James & Amy Braswell, in Memory of Chris Darby
Amy Von Hone, in Honor of Edie, Gobbie, Frankie our Cape Cod Little Brown Dogs
Todd Staudinger, in Memory of PFC Addie
Mr & Mrs Knox Bell, in Honor of Beverly Bell
Carrie Balkam & Emmie Balkam
Charles Flowers​
Robert Coley
Bobbye & Ken Bowdon
Brewster Belt Company
A. Amanda Harper, in Memory of my sweet "Buddy" Harper
Robert Coley
Bobbye & Ken Bowdon
Susan & Bill Schaefer
Joan Adler
Steve Trickett
Lynn Hill, in Memory of Tracy Lynn Baldwin
Holly McLaren
​Corey Mayers, in Honor of Zoey Mayers
Regina & Herb Clegg, in Honor of Peggy Vitolo
Debra Turner, in Memory of Lissa our first Boykin
​Jo Whitson
William Bauman & Phyllis Kaye
Julie Taylor
Tom Rhea, in Honor of Ritchie Battle
Al & Penny Randall, in Honor of Lita our LBD
Keith & Patti McCrodden
Warren & Karen Dennis
​The Macamor Foundation
Yale R. Brown, in Memory of Reese
Carolyn Perkins, in Memory of Greg Perkins
Dwayne Bell, in Memory of Scottie
Ginger Shaffer, in Honor of Huckleberry
Harriette Moultrie, in Honor of Jo Whiston
John Thomas, in Honor of Karen Pratt
Linda Deese
DL Phillips
Robert Alexander Serge
Renee Gravunder, in Memory of John Sinette
Thomas Cooke, in Honor of Maggie Mae
Alec Boyce, in Memory of Max & Dave
Susan Stewart
Denise Mitchell, in Memory of Gracie & Candy
Ken Ostrander
Katherine Bates, in Memory of PFC Alanna
Meredith Haynes
Jim McKinnon, in Memory of Zeke, Jessie & Tiggie
Cal & Julie Harrelson, in Honor of BSR!
Judy Christian, in Honor of Lou Bear
Debra Busch, in Honor of Champ
Kawanna Durden, in Honor of Kawanna Lee's Georgia Girl
Brewster Belt Company
Mr and Mrs John Babey, in Memory of Zoe
Mr and Mrs Roger Fromm
Margaret Campbell
Kathy Waldeck, in Memory of Lincoln
Wymard & Virginia McQuown
Ellen Harvill
Loretta Nichols, in Memory of Curley Sue,  in Honor of Max
Cindi Curro
Susan Kirkpatrick & Stan Everett, in Honor of Buster
Don Beaver, in Memory of Bodger and in Honor of Radar
Martha Mitchell, in Memory of Charlie & Bell
Brad Lorton, in Memory of Lilly
Margaret Rawson, in Memory of Ruby & Beemer
Frankie Melton
Wanda Usher, in Memory of Handsome Harry
Catherine Bolton
John & Linda Prozonic
Jennifer Whiddon, in Memory of Huck
Randall Felkell, in Memory of Lucca
Robin Smith & Karen Freeman
Amber Dickerson, in Memory of Laney
Richard Young
Lesley Israel
Carolyn Dunlap
Ridge Diven, in Memory of Karen Diven
Wendy & Larry Odell, in Memory of Grady
Gail Rogers
Michele Varely, in Honor of LBD Joey
​Jeannie Horton, in Honor of Houser
Miller Yoho
Constance Watkins, in Honor of David Warren Lambert
Neil & Mary Ann Ober, in Memory of Lucy
David & Lucinda Fuller
Diane Connolly, in Memory of Carolina Brown
Norma Freeman
Jeff Bowman, in Memory of Becky & Payton
Phil Harrill
Mert & Stan Wray, in Memory of 'Cool Hand Luck' Wray
Darrell Thacker, in Memory of Luke
Butch & Jane Herb, in Memory of Stoney
The Bones Family
Dustin & Staci Reed, in Memory of Doc Vance
Sara Conyers, in Memory of Bobby Conyers
Kristine Mantel
Ed & Peggy Williams, in Honor of Mocha
Kathryn Long, in Honor of Jakey Bell
Richard Simoneau
Paul & Julie Kay
Donald White
Cheryl & Ancel Hamilton
Clint & Lisa Everett, in Memory of Copper & Rascal
​Georgianna Graham
Lynne Brown, in Honor of BSR Buddy
Lynne Brown, in Memory of Tess, PFC Mollie Jean, PFC Nora and in Honor of PFC Ruthie
​Monique Philips, in Honor of the Schmitter Family
The Charles Bones Family
Aaron Cirulnick
John Thomas, in Honor of Michael & Jane Zervos
Carol Howard, in Honor of Ellen & Blake Bodenmiller
​Cynthia Heil
Cynthia Barber, in Honor of Benelli
The Hickerson Foundation
Pam Frizzell, in Honor of John & Sam Webb
Fred Butchers
Diana Young, in Honor of 'Lucy' Bowers
Brenda & David Bailey, in Memory of Taz
Phil & Jean Ashley, in Honor of Gruber & Ann Sires
Katherine Garstang, in Memory of Kia, Brook & Atty
Jane Lunn
John Alexander in Honor of Mimi and Duke
Mike & Sue McMahon
Susannah Williams, in Memory of Tally
​Will & Sue McCorkle, in Memory of Sam McCorkle "Q's Gulf Shadow"
​Michele Foster, in Memory of Tony
​Ridge Diven, in Memory of Karen Diven
Janet Kurtz Seifert, in Memory of George Seifert
​Shay & Dudley Sanford, in Memory of Tyke Sanford
Shay & Dudley Sanford, in Memory of Tess, Nora & Molly
Al English
Betty Derrick, in Memory of ET & Murphy, in Honor of Katie
Forever Farm & Vineyard, in Memory of George
John & Charlene Franklin, in Memory of Remy
Gary, Susan & Rivet Hunter
Vicki & Jerry Pope
Luci Whitworth
Michael A Allen
Gayle N George, in Memory of Handsome Harry
Matt Mihalik
Eddie Rodelsperger, in Honor of Colt
James C Spigner
Anne Anderson, in Memory of David Anderson
Jackie Horseman Nettles, in Honor of George & Maggie
Gary Ney
Monica Mobilio, in Memory of our beloved Rowdy
Kelli Ostmeyer, in Memory of Gus and for Lou Bear.  Two of the coolest LBDs we have known.
Sue Yagmin
Richard Gotz
Greg & Cathy Oelberg, in Memory of Buddy
​Fred Fogelin & Linda Jones, in Honor of our rescues, Lucy & Desi, and those who came before~ Murphy, Swede & Prince
Ann Mitchell
John Clifford, in Memory of Chewbacca
Kailey Larson
Rebecca Esposito, in Memory of Hailey & Jessie Esposito & in Honor of Gabby
Kay Kilpatrick, in Memory of Bucky & Mitzi
​Susan McIntyre, in Honor of Molly Belle
Marc Macaluso
Patricia Pearson
Carson & Norma Quarles
Thomas & Janice Williams, in Memory of Carolina
​Tom Theis, In Memory of Emma Carolina Dream
George Miller, in Memory of Pearlie
Sheri Whitaker
Cherry Muscat, in Memory of Sophie & in Honor of Libby
Robert Besse & Claire Mork
Fred Wanner, in Memory of Chester.  The Wonder Dog.
​Tom Dolatowski, in honor of all there LBDs who have beat heartworm, like Briar Rose
Rita Schimpff
​Allyn Talbot
Brian Noon
Shannon Strickland
Karen & David Thompson, in Memory of Carolina Tugtown Blue
Lynn Jacobs
John Steinmeyer
Sandra Scheur, in Memory of Flora & in Honor of Hamish
Maureen Comer, in Honor of Jim & Buddy
Edward Powers
Jane Buckler, in Memory of Savannah
Anne & Jonathan Smith
Mihaljo Petrovic, in Memory of Rusty
Carolyn Dunlap, in Honor of Bodie (BSR #980)
Jami Williams
Kim Greene, in Honor of Debi Odom
​John & Kaye Wallace
Adeline Tucker, in Memory of Handsome Harry Tucker
Ann R Wood
Kimberly Bishop, in Memory of Harry Tucker
Lynn Beasley
Richard & Peggy Vitolo, in Honor of BSRs Dixie & Maggie, who bring us such joy
James & Janet Farley
Gail Wells, in Memory of all past BSR alums, especially BSR Izzy
Robert & Suzanne Fanto
Susan Kahler, in Honor of all BSR alums
Barbara Corbett, in Memory of Treva
Lynn Hickock, in Memory of Treva
Carolina Brown Apparel
Todd & Gigi Gwin
Loren Vevon
Patricia Royal, in Memory of Dingo, in Honor of Diesel & Dudley
Deborah Melson, in Memory of Remi & in Honor of Roland
Janet Broadus, in Memory of Gavin Broadus, in Honor of Mattie
Joan Squires, in Honor of Janet & Steve Jordan
Richard & Chris Ness
Charles Bones
Paula Lawrence, in Memory of Izzy
Laura Harrington Haight
Douglas Smith, in Honor of April Long
Richard & Jeri Walker
​Dawn Gordon
Kayden Jenkins-Deal
Sandra Liebler
Broadwater Seafood, in Memory of Cowboy
Lance Sherman, in Memory of Clancy & in Honor of Sparky
Carolyn Dunlap, in Honor of BSR Bodie 
Jo Anne K Everette
Becky Warfield
Brenda McDowell, in Memory of Happy
Denise Tobolka, in Honor of Kevin Poynter
Mary Boose, in Memory of Gabby
Jan Miller
Jim Farley, Ever grateful for BSR Buddy
Bissell Pet Foundation
Douglas & Nancy Volk, in Memory of Chessie
Henry & Mary Chidgey
Lois Cheston
Akacia Davison, in Honor of Finley Ann
Matthew Amato
Frank & Connie Wilson, in Memory of Maggie, Remington & Sunny
J Carson Quarles
Richard & Rebecca Anderson
Don & Debbie Winslow
Matthew McBeath, in Honor of Jasper
Bob & Dianne Banker, in Honor PFC Jackson Brown
David Fitzgerald
Sisters of Chicos 576, in Memory of Ned Michaela
Scott Douglass
Lynn McNair, in Memory of Abby
Kay, in Memory of Miles
Greg & Mary Drew, in Memory of sweet Tess
Ginger Hurley, in memory of three great siblings! RIP Angel, Dauber, Shiner along with honorary sibling Deva
Mildred Plyler
Larry & Jennifer Griffin
CJ Dempsey
Anna Lee Adams
Jim Greene
Marsha McLean
Brian Wallace
Dan & Gail Bruner, in Honor of 2019 BSR Alum & Calendar Girl, Izzy

Happy New Year!   Here are Boykin Spaniel Resolutions!

Wilson was a 13-year-old-owner surrender in poor health when he came to us.  He had been relegated to the yard and was lonely, extremely overweight at 70 pounds and suffering from seizures and lupus.  Immediately, we realized that he would be with us forever as a PFC, and his new foster went to work getting his health situation up to par.  He was put on a metabolic formula food to help the weight come off and phenobarbital levels regulated for seizure control. As part of new pack, Wilson has settled into a happy routine, and his health is improving daily.  He has dropped a significant amount of weight and now enjoys running in the back yard with his Boykin brother, knowing he is welcome to come back inside and be part of a family again!
Chickory is a 12-year-old, senior Boykin female whose owners had traveled extensively all over the US with her and loved her dearly. When a final change of locations prevented them taking her with them, they reached out to BSR. Any dog leaving one home and entering another is going to be unsettled for a bit; but, they are resilient and she bonded quickly to her foster family. They were able to give her constant attention and work on any issues that came up. It turns out that Chick had some serious storm anxiety and some socialization issues meeting new dogs. Working with our certified canine trainer, the foster was given some strategies for working with her over the long term. However, her issues and age led us to determine that she would be a Special Needs Placement so that she would not have to go through another upheaval of moving to another home.

Our Heart Gallery

Emma could retrieve all day long if you let her! The problem was that her family's jobs left them unable to meet her extremely high-energy demands. She was smart, athletic and spunky for her 6 years, and showed no sign of slowing down as she got older! Our fosters tested her to see if she had any aptitude for hunting but feathers in her mouth were not her thing. And, she needed the more obvious mark of a bumper thrown down the yard, not a bird she had to find. However, she still fit the bill for the right adopter, who had time and attention to spare and could keep up with her. Today she has learned that frisbees are pretty cool too!
Lucy was hoping this time it would click, having been adopted out of a shelter twice and brought back each time for being too much to handle. Boykins are not common in Colorado, where she had been bouncing in and out of homes, and so the shelter finally called Boykin Spaniel Rescue to make sure she got into a home with enough Boykin understanding to not be put off by the project she was. That home was with a foster with 2 of her own Boykins, and she gladly accepted the task, enrolling Lucy into training and setting the tone early for what was expected. With the right handling, Lucy settled down and became a well-adjusted family and pack member.
'Twas the Night Before a Boykin Spaniel Christmas
Jenny and Yogi-a mother and her son- came into care together and were both heartworm positive. Jenny, at 13 years old, had a precarious time in treatment, while Yogi, at 10 years old, sailed through with few setbacks. Both had to learn inside living skills during the 4 months they were with their foster. Today, they are ready to celebrate the holiday with hearts free of worms and a loving adoptive family of their very own!

Many of you know PFC Snickers. 2.5 years old when initially brought into BSR, Snickers had spent over 300 days in a shelter while his former owner awaited an animal hoarding court trial. Snickers needed extensive training and socialization and was with fosters for almost a year before being adopted out. However, he was returned to BSR after an irregular heartbeat was detected shortly after being adopted. Snickers required a pacemaker to survive. And so in 2015, Snickers and his foster family traveled to University of Georgia Animal Teaching Hospital the implant, and at 2.5 years old, his prognosis was excellent. Now, almost 7, Snicker's had to have his pacemaker replaced after one of the leads going to his heart disengaged, causing a re-emergence of the bradycardia. The surgery was successful and Snicks is back to his old self!

The dogs in BSR's Care in 2019 would like to wish you a Merry Christmas!  Click the photo below to view!
Meet Grover! On an initial puppy exam and in several subsequent check ups, Grover's vet heard a loud "washing machine" sounding heart mumur.  That sound was classic for a cardiac condition called "patent ductus arteriosis" and if true, would require immediate highly specialized surgery to correct.  Compounding the issue,  the surgical window of opportunity for this condition was only up to 16 weeks of age; and after that, only medicine could be used and life expectancy would only be 3-5 years.  With surgery, Grover could easily reach a ripe old age in good health! 

But as luck would have it, EKGs and echo-cardiograms at the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital showed that Grover's murmur was not a PDA, but still a rather pronounced one that would require diligent 6-month follow-ups with a cardiac specialist to make sure it was not getting worse.  Grover will remain in BSR’s care at least until that follow up and will need life-long care and monitoring by specialists.
Wrigley was a busy boy who had developed some habits in his early years that ended up with him at an emergency veterinary hospital on a Friday evening, just as all regular vets were closing up. A repeat offender for ingesting cloth and other items, Wrigley had done it again, although this time with a dish towel that went down whole and was not going to be vommited up like other times. His owner, facing his own health concerns, knew that he had to make the hardest decision of his life and surrender his boy to rescue so that they could work on his behaviors and needs. After a successful obstruction surgery, Wrigley was released to a foster who could start him on the way to new, better habits. Along they way, we found that Wrigley needed a very high level of activity and stimulation to re-direct the eating habits; and, he also had a pronounced anxiety over meeting strangers and his discomfort was obvious with his growling and snapping on approach. However, Wrigley was also the sweetest dog once he felt secure about the people around him. So, knowing we had serious work to do to keep him safe from himself, Wrigley moved on to a foster who spent months with him reinforcing good habits and "calming" strategies for new people, dogs and situations. Wrigley worked with her and trainers to learn new coping skills, and found with his foster, having doggie siblings really helped him as well. He now looks to his mom for the OK that he does not need to growl or snap, and can calmly deal with new situations. While he has come so far, Wrigley has landed just where he needs to be to keep him too busy to get into trouble and emotionally secure.
Parker, we knew had some high-level separation anxiety, but he also had some socialization issues that led to him being bounced around a few times before finding his way to BSR. Chief amongst his issues, and for our fosters who all tend to have other dogs, was that Parker was a bully when meeting new dogs...every time, he had to prove he was the top dog! Once adjusted to his foster pack, he was fine, but the new dog issue had to be addressed. His separation anxiety was relatively low-level, but that too would take time to deal with. For Parker, he needed an adopter who could commit to providing the leadership and structure he needed to thrive. He needed to learn who was the boss and to take ques from his human leaders on how to interact. He also needed a predictable schedule of separation, building from just a few feet away, to a room away to outside the front door, etc. Gradually, with consistency and structure, he found his forever home. Parker was a Special Needs Placement.
11-year-old Ruthie came in at the very start of the year, from an owner whose husband had died. He had been Ruthie's main person, and her future living situation did not allow her to bring Ruthie along. She just hoped someone in BSR would love her as much as her husband had. But, like layers of an onion, Ruthie's abilities, fears, anxieties and habits revealed themselves slowly as she grew more comfortable, and it became clear that she would be difficult to adopt to anyone. Ruthie became a Permanent Foster and together she and her foster dived into extensive training, de-sensitizing to triggers, and behavioral work. A year later, her foster is still working on those layers of understanding her foster, but Ruthie has opened up to be a ham and the star of her training class!
Lillee Belle had been a BSR dog and was adopted and loved by her special person for many years.  When health circumstances changed for the owner, Lillee Belle was brought back into care and given much needed care for ear infections and attention to some growths on her body.  A growth on a front toe had become a source of obsession for Lillee and so had to be removed to prevent her infecting it. She also learned pack socialization skills  in her foster home. After a longer time waiting for her new special person, Lillee Belle was adopted and spent her Thanksgiving with her new mom and family!!  
Today we feature PFC Elmer. Elmer had lived most of his life in and out of boarding situations, and had not received adequate preventative care. He had been heartworm positive for several years before rescue was finally contacted.  At 13, he became a Permanent Foster with our goal to get him healthy and let  him have whatever time he has left in love and good care.  After treatment for the heartworms with a slow kill approach, the foster worked on cleaning up his skin and improving his diet.  Eventually, what remained was an arthritic back and old age problems.  His foster and vet, along with the BSR dog care group, are seeing to it that Elmer's time with BSR will be the most loving of his life, and that he will know nothing but comfort!!

Maggie is a sweet girl with the heart of a survivor! When she came into care, it was quickly discovered that she was in congestive heart failure due to an overwhelming load of heartworms. Maggie was rushed to the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital to undergo emergency surgery where they mechanically removed the worms through a catheter inserted into the jugular vein in her neck! Once she was home with her foster and more stable, she underwent a full round of the same 3-shot protocol for heartworm treatment that our other HW+ rescues use. However, Maggie's heartworm treatment spanned several months and was under the guidance of a veterinary specialist due to her prior complications. After 8 months in care, she was confirmed free and clear and was able to be adopted. Today, Maggie is healthy and full of energy!
Meet Elmo- a sweet Boykin with a true “Heart of the Holidays” success story! Elmo came into BSR’s care following a request from an Alabama shelter for BSR to intake him as he had a serious-sounding heart murmur. Upon examination by our foster's vet, we learned that the murmur was quite severe resulting from a constriction at the valve between Elmo’s heart and the artery leading to his lungs.
Fortunately, Elmo was being fostered close to Texas A&M Veterinary College where its amazing staff had successfully treated a former rescue with a similar case of pulmonary stenosis. The echo cardiograms and EKGs run at Texas A&M suggested that Elmo was an excellent candidate for the surgery which took place on November 13th.

Prior to surgery, Elmo's blood pressure across the valve had reached 110 (we were told anything over 81 is considered "severe"); and the valve was found to be practically fused shut. During the operation, it was discovered the elevated pressure had caused the arterial wall of the pulmonary artery to break down or "dissect," an unknown consequence that could have instantly killed him had the artery ruptured. The condition is so rare that the surgeons had only seen it once themselves in their careers and had only a few scholarly resources to which they could refer. So, after the surgery when we learned that Elmo's pressures dropped to 51 then 36.--only 2 points above a "normal"- pressure, we were, and remain, ‘over the moon” grateful this sweet boy came through the surgery so well!

With rest and a re-test of his heart in 3 months, Elmo is expected to live a long, full and happy life!! In appreciation, Elmo has decided he is an Aggie for life!
Milo J entered BSR care as a young pup struggling to overcome birth defects caused by an inter-uterine infection in his mother.  The infection caused him to not develop one eye, be blind in the other and to never have developed paw pads.  You would think these limitations would have slowed Milo down, but they have not....not one bit!!  This blind pup with an immature bladder and an overly-keen sense of smell to get into things, has led his permanent fosters to revisit everything they knew about training former fosters!  They have noticed in particular that his scenting abilities are off the chart, and although he cannot see, he trails anything that has been through the yard.  With BSR's help, Milo will continue to overcome obstacles and live with his very own loving PFC family for his life! 
Annabelle was attracted to socks...so much so that she had already had 2 surgeries to remove them! On her 3rd obstruction, the owner called BSR. The intake took place at an emergency vet clinic on the Friday of a holiday weekend. Distraught at the decision, the owner nonetheless knew that Annabelle had some serious compulsions that would be hard to turn around with an active family full of children and their socks! 

BSR got her through the surgery, and we were told that there were so many adhesions inside her from prior surgeries that this one had to be her last! We knew she would have to be in a pretty controlled environment with a strict regard to laundry and unsupervised play with toys and bedding....which we found with her wonderful new adopter!! Today, Annabelle enjoys the attention of her new parents and a Boykin sibling!
PFC Bell entered BSR's care at 14-years-old, she was extremely malnourished and suffering with pain in her hips and back end. Because Bell had been subsisting on so little food for so long,  it took a while to bring her health back up to a comfortable level.  As she steadily improved, her spirit did too, and in time she was not just quietly observing he new permanent foster family from afar, but she was making tentative steps to join in.  When it became clear that all the love her other canine siblings shared could be hers too...she blossomed!  Today she is a permanent foster with the most amazing family!  
PFC Gage
Gage had had a traumatic disc rupture prior to inake, and there was not a good prognosis for him having surgery due to the length of time from the injury. BSR took him in as a PFC, and an amazing foster who already had a paralyzed Boykin Rescue dog in care said, heck...what's one more...we know what to expect. He was also heartworm positive, so that would have to be treated as well. While the ins and outs of tending to a dog with no back end control, getting it used to a wheelchair and working on front end strength were indeed familiar, Gage had a trick up his sleeve that astounded us all! On Easter weekend, Gage began exhibiting a phenomenon known as "spinal walking," in which the body still has no deep pain sensation or ability to control their back limbs, but nevertheless, the "muscle memory" in the dog allows it to stand and more or less "walk." Most of the time, this looks like a drunken sailor with a very clumsy gait, but Gage added his own twist...and soon he wasn't just spinal walking, but also spinal RUNNING!! Gage continues to amaze us and his BSR foster family makes sure he gets the best care ever!
Lizzie
Lizzie taught us something new about heartworms...that veterinarians have recently discovered a preventative-resistant strain of worms in the Mississippi delta area. Lizzie did indeed come from lower Mississippi and was something of a free-ranger-- not really running but not really staying home either. She was finally given to BSR so that we could get her healthy again and place her with a family that would provide a stable home life for her. The heartworm treatment protocol we use, as advised by the American Heartworm Society, is a 4-5 month course; and, we do not have dogs re-tested at the completion of that until 6 months after their last shots. In Lizzie's case, she was still positive at that 6-month point and needed an additional 2 months on preventatives to test as clear. We are happy to share that Lizzie continues to be clear of heartworms and is healthy and happy-- always doting on her dad, following him everywhere. We are forever thankful that she has the life we all dream of for our dogs!
Milton
Buddy was pulled from a shelter by BSR. He was said to have been a hunting dog in his past life, so arrangements were made to transport him to a foster with the experience to identify hunting potential and determine the kind of life he needed to be happy. But on route to the foster, our volunteer transporters began to notice a steady bloody discharge from his rectum. Breaking with protocol, we had a transporter take him to her vet for a quick evaluation, and impacted anal glands was the diagnosis. 

After many tests, with no answers, we turned to our Veterinary Advisory panel. It was recommended that we schedule a colonoscopy and get him to specialists at Texas A &M Vet School. It was there it was discovered that a small subcutaneous tumor was growing just inside the rectum, at an area easily dismissed by the base of the colonoscopy unit or by digital exam. We had an answer and Buddy was scheduled for a surgery to remove the tumor and  for biopsy.  

At his follow up appointment, it was confirmed that while it was malignant, excellent margins were obtained and it was determine there was no metastasis, so Buddy could go on and live the life he was meant to live!! After eight months in BSR's care,  Buddy was adopted and does indeed have an affinity for hunting  and keeps helping his dad find the birds!
Chessie was kept outside in her former life and had not received the care she needed.  Her coat was rapidly diminishing under the advance of skin infections, and she was malnourished and had mammary tumors.  When a local veterinarian was able to get Chessie turned over to her, she contacted BSR to give her as comfortable a life as possible and hoped that her ailments could be treated.  The PFC foster had helped treat past fosters for similar skin infections and was able to work her magic on Chessie.  Currently, her skin is improving, hair is returning and she is living a life of leisure and love with her PFC family!
Doc and Pearl were turned over to BSR together and both were heartworm positive. Doc needed to be neutered and Pearl needed to be spayed. During the last month of Pearl's heartworm treatment, she developed a life-threatening uterine infection which required and immediate emergency spay. After successfully completing heartworm treatment and having fully recovered from her infection, Pearl developed an immune disorder of the blood that, again, threatened her life just before she was to be adopted. Pearl's white and red blood cell counts went to almost zero. She spent 3 days in the emergency vet and internal medicine vet where they gave her IV fluids and antibiotics. Eventually, her blood counts normalized and she fully recovered. Today Pearl is healthy and happy with her father, Doc, living her best life!  

You may remember Rosie, who we featured during our mid-year campaign.  We were contacted by a Georgia shelter who asked for urgent help in the case of stray in extreme neglect. This was a tiny, rural shelter that knew if we couldn't help, the dog would be put down for lack or resources. And, with the help of our amazing volunteers who always step up to help on a moment's notice,  a plan was hatched with a few hours....BSR was on the way to pull this dog and get it into the long term care it would take to give her back her life. Take a moment to look at the intake photos....testing positive for heartworms and with rampant skin infections, hair loss, eye and ear infections as well as malnutrition....Rosie was in pitiful shape.

Throughout her transport, Rosie was a trooper.....sweet and calm, but really, having no energy whatsoever for anything other than a ride into another chapter in her life of despair and desperation. What did one more hand over, one more person mean to her?....it seemed as if she had given up and was simply along for the ride. When she finally got to her foster who knew this was a 6 month or more commitment, she was allowed to decompress, get cleaned up and, most importantly, receive the love and attention she deserved. An intake vetting appointment with the foster's vet helped BSR outline her care plan....a strategy we use for all fosters to help us track their needs and progress. Skin infections were first, with medicated baths, and ear infections with rinses and longer term treatments. Then to treat for heartworm, which overall is a 4 month treatment plan including both medications, injection and activity restriction. Rosie's foster found along the way that in addition to her medical issues, she had zero house training or socialization....everything was a back-to-the start plan for Rosie!  

Finally, 7 months after intake, Rosie has blossomed into the beautiful Boykin that you see here! Sharing pictures with the Georgia shelter staff when she was adopted was one of our happiest days!!  Rosie's journey is what BSR does...we take in the at-risk, complex cases and turn them around.....we are here so that no Boykin, like Rosie, is ever left behind!