WHEN Bess Parker was forced to flee her home because of domestic violence, she left behind her relatives and friends, as well as her two closest companions – mother and daughter terriers Twilight and Bright Eyes.

With bruises on her arms, death notes in her pockets, and her nineyear- old daughter in tow, Bess (not her real name), 33, made her way by bus to a refuge for battered women, where they would spend the next six months. She knew there was no turning back as her partner of only three months had threatened to kill her and her family.

“We lost everything – all our possessions, our contacts, our home, our family,” she recalls. “The worst part of all of it was being without the dogs. Twilight was my best friend and my daughter was used to sleeping with Bright Eyes every night, so I’d have to hold her in the refuge as she cried herself to sleep.”

According to research, as many as one in four women experience domestic violence at some point, with data showing a strong link between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Sadly, as refuges and temporary accommodation centres cannot accept pets, some women choose to stay rather than risk their pets’ lives by fleeing without them.

Bess, however, was lucky. Through social services, she was referred to The Dogs Trust charity, whose Freedom Project provides a free foster care service for dogs belonging to domestic violence victims in areas including Yorkshire. Her pets were fostered until she managed to create a new life away from her partner.

Julie, a single mother-of-three, has been a volunteer foster carer for the Freedom Project Yorkshire since it was established in 2005, and has since cared for a number of dogs.

“For me, the hardest part about fostering is knowing what the dogs have been through,” she says, as a former victim of domestic violence herself. “Seeing them cower when they hear a loud noise and looking bewildered when they first arrive is heartbreaking, but watching them grow in confidence and discovering each dog’s individual personality is so rewarding.”

■ The Freedom Project is looking to recruit more foster carers, especially men. If you like dogs, can devote an average of nine months to looking after a pet and want to help a family in need, visit dogstrustfreedomproject.org.uk