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Freedom Project
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How to refer your dog

We understand how important it is to make sure your dog is safe. As many refuges can’t accept pets, our Freedom Project can provide your dog with a safe and loving temporary foster home until you can be reunited again. 
 
Our service is completely confidential and free to use. We’ll cover the cost of your dog’s food, veterinary care, and any toys or treats they need to help settle in.  
 
Once you’ve contacted us, we’ll need a couple of bits from you to process your referral. But don’t worry, we’ll talk you through what we need when we have a chat.  

Step 1: Tell us about your dog

We will start by finding out more information about your dog. The more we know about their behaviour, the better placed we are to match them to a foster family. We will ask you, or your support worker, to complete a form about your dog to help us understand their needs and we may ask you to send us some photographs of them.

Step 2: Referral forms 

We will provide you with an agreement document which explains the terms and conditions of your dog’s foster placement. Should you decide to place your dog in foster with us, we will ask you to sign to confirm that you agree to these. We will also require an email or letter from your support worker or relevant agency confirming that you are fleeing domestic abuse and will be supported to find safe housing.

Step 3: Welcoming your dog into our care

We will match your dog to one of our caring volunteer foster carers and make arrangements to collect your dog from a safe location.

We know that organising for your dog to go into temporary foster care is a big step, but we’ll be here to help every step of the way. If you have any questions, pop us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.  

We are able to offer fostering placements for dogs that are over the age of 8 months, and dogs that have been owned by the person who is referring for at least 6 months. If this doesn't apply to your dog, you can call us and we will talk through all your options with you. 

Call us

To speak to one of our female-only Freedom Project team, give us a call on one of the numbers below. If you don’t live within one of these areas, please call your closest regional team and we’ll offer support and signposting.  

London & Home Counties

0800 298 9199

Yorkshire

0800 083 4322

North West of England

0300 303 4139

Wales

0300 373 0677

East Midlands

0300 373 2789

East Anglia

0808 196 6240

North East of England

0300 303 3497

Scotland

0808 169 4315

West Midlands

0300 373 2788

Email us

If you’d prefer to email us, we’ll aim to get back to you within 24 hours. Please only contact us by email if you’re sure that your account is secure and isn’t being monitored.  

You can find out more information about keeping emails secure on Refuge's Tech Safety website.

freedomproject@dogstrust.org.uk

Your dog's foster journey

Find out more about your dog's foster journey once they are in our care

Your dog's foster journey

Support for Domestic Abuse

Contact specialist services to get support and information

Support for Domestic Abuse