We launched Freedom after research highlighted the link between abuse to pets and abuse to people.
We also knew that many refuges were unable to accept pets, meaning that owning a pet could be a barrier for someone moving to safety.
The service was launched in London and Yorkshire, and now operates across London and the South East, East Anglia, the North of England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales.
We work closely with an experienced group of volunteer foster carers who open their homes and hearts to care for dogs, whilst receiving full support and guidance from our experienced team.
We’ve now supported over 2,600 dogs, helping their owners to work towards freedom from domestic abuse. We always aim to return dogs to their owners once they're settled in safe, new accommodation. It’s one of the highlights of our teams’ week when we’re able to reunite a dog with their loving family.
As well as delivering our specialist dog fostering service, we also work to raise awareness of the connection between domestic abuse and pets, such as how they can be used as a tool for coercive control.
As a member of the Links Pet Fostering Group, we work closely with other specialist services to share best practice and to ensure the highest service standards for specialist pet fostering services.