Boycie’s Bridge Dog Rescue

15/01/2025

Sometimes a dog you’ve never met can break your heart.
This little lady was one.

So, within the rescue world there are lots of cogs turning, people working hard to get dogs rescue spaces and place them safely.
Most of the dogs are classed as ‘at risk’ which means they have a date to be put to sleep, they are in a council stray pound and the space is needed, so they will be put to sleep soon, or they’re dangerously advertised, such as free to good home, or for a cheap price…and most will be shocked to hear, even raffled off on social media.

This little girl had been dumped and she was at risk of being put to sleep this week in the stray system.

Teams of ‘pound pullers’ and rescuers were sharing her post, which we came across a few days ago.

I looked at her photo and I couldn’t get her out of my mind. We are already full, we are struggling in every way…but we all agreed, this couldn’t be the only experience of life this girl could have.
Pain, hunger and discomfort, it wasn’t only clear that’s all she’s had from her body condition, but from her eyes.

So we agreed to take her.

Next was the volunteer transporter to bring her to us, a 4hr round trip which ended up being longer with the traffic.

Then she needed her vaccinations, worming, flea treatment and microchip. She will be spayed in 12 weeks as she’s currently in season.

So, Let’s all very gently welcome a nervous but sweet little girl Marjorie.

Marjorie has had her ears crudely cropped, her skin is scabby and she’s painfully thin. But she now has a bright future, we’ll make sure of that.

She’s currently at BBHQ while she’s assessed, but we will be looking for a foster home for her soon.

Her foster will need to be child and pet free and be around a majority of the time.

Marjorie will need all the basic training and learn to be a family member and grow her confidence.
She’s approximately 2 years old.

Here she is, the very beautiful pocket bully cross Marjorie ❤️❤️

15/01/2025

You know we love the oldies and hate to see them in a bad predicament…well this old chap needs our help.

Harvey is 18 years old. He is in need of a new home as soon as possible.

There’s been a big change of circumstances in his life and he has to find somewhere urgently.

Harvey is a happy old chap, sleeps a lot as you would expect, but still likes to potter around the block for a slow stroll and sniff.
He has no teeth and has a few gastro issues that are kept at bay with meds.
He has the occasional accident in the house but will use puppy pads.

He’s pretty oblivious to other dogs and cats, as long as they don’t bother him, he won’t even notice they’re there! He would not manage to live with boisterous dogs or big ones that could knock him over.

Harvey would need a foster within travel distance of our vets at either the Stafford, Stone or Bloxwich branch, this is non negotiable unfortunately, as we also only carry out in person homechecks, so distance has to be within a reasonable travel time

If you can help an old chap find a comfy sofa, please fill in an adoption/foster application on our website or alternatively you can inbox the page. We do not respond to comments.

11/01/2025

We're often asked about donations and what we need and can or can't take so here's a list to make it easier , please feel free to share.
We DONT take
Duvets
Quilts
Bedding
Pillows
Cushions
Opened food

We Are grateful for
Grain free wet/dry food unopened
Good condition toys, bowls, leads, harnesses and any other doggy paraphernalia

We have drop offs at Stafford Tesco , Dunelm Stafford , Jollyes Stafford - The Pet People and Just for Pets

Thank you

10/01/2025

❤️❤️ FOUND!!! Now home safe and well ❤️❤️

U P D A T E // ✨ Holly is now HOME safe ✨

Lost Dog: HOLLY
Lost from: Stafford Castle
Missing since 10/01/25

We have been asked to help find missing dog Holly by her owner. Lauren is putting a team together, working with Drone SAR For Lost Dogs UK to help locate, capture & reunite this lovely girl with her Mum.

When dogs are lost, they can revert to 'survival mode', meaning that dogs can become more reactive & defensive, as well as more inclined to run away or hide from any perceived threats... even their owners 😔

SOCIAL MEDIA
This being the case, we are asking people not to report any sightings of Holly on social media as we would like to keep the area she is in as quiet as possible. Instead, please report all sightings to: 07523 366738

DO NOT
✖️ Do not chase
✖️ Do not whistle
✖️ Do not call

DO
✔️ Report all sightings to 07523 366738
✔️ Check CCTV & Ring doorbells for sightings
✔️ State time, location & direction of travel
✔️ Check outbuildings

We will keep you all updated.
Thank you 🙏

A Small Piece of Stafford

10/01/2025

08/01/2025

With the weather set to icy please watch out for our little paws and keep walks short x

07/01/2025

Do you Remember the old duo Podge and Toffee?
This cute little couple were in need of a new home after their owner sadly passed away.

After spending some months in kennels, winter was approaching and Diane who owns the kennels, was getting concerned for them.

You see, Toffee and Podge are the grand old age of 15 and 17 years old!!

So, Diane reached out to us and the family signed them over.

We found them the most amazing long term foster home, with the lovely Graham, who has spoilt them rotten since they arrived at his house!

From fresh cooked steak and chicken everyday, to daily heat massages on podges sore joints, they are living a fabulous retirement with him.

Graham isn’t great with technology and doesn’t do social media, but we have regular calls and texts and the odd photo of the pair and we are going for another visit to see them later in the month.

It was a team effort for these two, from the Kennels, Diane and Candy taking such good care of them and putting their welfare first finding rescue for them, the family for sticking by them until a foster space was found, the oldies club for finding the wonderful Graham for us, the vets for getting Podges arthritic pain under control with meds and Graham for being willing to take on such elderly dogs, especially as a pair!

We’ll take some videos of them when we go to visit, but here are a couple of photos Graham sent last week, he said they had a lovely Christmas, they kept snug and warm with full bellies! ❤️❤️❤️

07/01/2025

We've had some cracking updates from some of our dogs whove been lucky enough to get away over Christmas. We just love seeing these and hope you do too. Fred is the first 2 pics then Spud who are both adopted by the best people and last but not least little Arthur the scared lad in foster is coming on in leaps and bounds thank to his foster dad and doggy brother.

07/01/2025

HU***NG HOUNDS - It’s not always what it seems

Some dogs do and some dogs don’t, but if you have a dog that humps at the most inopportune times it can be downright embarrassing or annoying.

Other dogs, other people, visitors, toys, cushions, furniture, anything that can be mounted and clung to may be fair game.

As people, it’s natural to assume that this behaviour is of a sexual nature, that our dogs must be oversexed, sexually frustrated or the all-too-common incorrect belief that our dogs are just trying to be “dominant” or “the alpha”.

Hu***ng, like many other dog behaviours does not always have a simple reason. It can be a complex behaviour which is usually emotionally or socially based.

Looking at what may be triggering the behaviour should always be the first step before finding ways to change a behaviour.

The solutions will depend on the cause. It may be finding ways to reduce stress or anxiety levels, increasing mental stimulation, teaching calm behaviours to prevent over arousal, ensuring your dog is getting enough sleep, using management or in some cases a veterinary check up to rule out any medical causes.

When hu***ng is annoying another dog or person or causing frustration, discomfort or harm in any way, then obviously this behaviour needs to be immediately addressed, but sometimes we may need to ask ourselves – is it really something we need to stop our dogs from doing just because we see it as socially unacceptable?

Is it a harmless way of relieving stress or anxiety after a difficult day or a way to expend pent up energy that is not causing anyone harm?

Is a little hump now and then okay if it’s not causing any harm?

If we prevent this, correct it, or at worst punish this behaviour are we removing a harmless natural outlet and risking another unwanted behaviour taking its place?

Hu***ng is one of the most misunderstood behaviours.

Very often, behaviour is not about the way it looks, but the way we perceive it from our human perspective.

03/01/2025

Big lad Pabs has had some investigations done recently, as he has some hair loss on either side of his body.
We had to rule out parasites first, which we did, and it didn’t improve.

We then took the route of blood tests, mainly to rule out thyroid issues. His bloods came back normal, so vets believe it’s seasonal flank alopecia. He has no other symptoms and it’s not bothering him at all, so we’ll not be treating further, other than keeping a close check on his diet and reviewing if any further symptoms occur.

He went off for a blast around Home Farm Fields today, had a fab time as usual! As you can see, Daisy was a little less photogenic than Pablo today 😂

31/12/2024

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, and to say Thank you for the unwavering support this little rescue family has received from you all in 2024.

There are a few people who I would like to specifically thank from Me personally.
Obviously my amazing (and very tolerant) Husband Darren and my children who sacrifice so much for me to do this need a huge shout out. Our lives, time,house and car are scaraficed for the dogs, and I know it must get them all down sometimes, but they’re always behind me 100%

However, my main partners in crime, who I could not possibly manage without, Lisa and Rach need to know how much I truly appreciate them.

Lisa was the first to say ‘I’m in’ when I decided to start Boycie’s, after many years involved with other rescues.

From that day, she hasn’t faultered. We are like minded, We have the same goals and outlook for all the dogs and we laugh and cry together.
She keeps my spirits up when I get down and we always end up laughing by the end of every situation we find ourselves in!

She has had some serious health issues over the years, yet still commits to the rescue and is always thinking about others.
A lovely person with a huge heart.

Rach became involved a few months in, as my sister in law, she already knew how my life revolved around rescue and dogs and had always wanted to help.

She does all the things we really don’t want to do, the accounts for the accountant, banking, admin, insurance etc and also does homechecks and transport.
Rach also makes me laugh, another kind and caring soul, who wants the best for everyone.

We make a good team and I’m so grateful to them both for sticking with me when things get rough (which have been constant since lockdown!)

We start 2025 hoping rescue will get better. We hope the back yard breeders are stopped, we hope more regulations are implemented for owners, breeders and rescues.

Let’s hope for a positive year.

Thank you to all of our volunteers, to our fosters, fundraisers, adopters, transporters, donation collectors….we are a great family!

Tonight we shall raise a glass for all the Boycie’s dogs we’ve helped, we will think of those we couldn’t help with a heavy heart.
We look forward to helping many more and seeing the progress of all of the dogs we’ve homed.

For those beautiful souls who have passed away this year, we will think of you and be comforted by the fact your last days were full of love and happiness and you were loved by not just your adopters, but thousands of people here, who watched your stories and loved you from afar.

Happy New Year all!
With Love ❤️
Anne Marie

31/12/2024

I’m so Lucky to have family that support the rescue, not only my Husband but my children too.

This week my Daughter Daisy and her Boyfriend Tom took long term foster boy Colin the Frenchie off for a couple of days walking holiday in Wales.
He’s really enjoying himself and I’m so grateful he gets to go to all these lovely places, purely because Daisy wants to make him have a normal and happy life, even though he has behavioural issues that are difficult to manage.

My son Will and his Fiancé Tash have also taken their foster dog Reggie on a break to a holiday home in Alton.
Another holiday booked to walk and enjoy watching Reggie loving life.

Pablo gets his special treatment from my oldest son Tom as well as Daisy and my youngest son Jacob has his own special friendship with his little mate Ivy and has a soft spot for foster dog Otis, who’ll do anything for Jacob but not for most other people! 😂

Have a lovely holiday Colin (and Daisys own dog Lilly)
And to Reggie too.
Thank you to my wonderful children for being so caring. ❤️❤️

30/12/2024

🐾Dog found🐾
Found almost directly outside of the practice on Hednesford Street by the Funeral Directors, not chipped unfortunately.
S*x withheld for identification purposes. Proof of ownership required
Please share so that we can get this sweetheart home. If no owner comes forward, we will have to call the dog warden tomorrow.