The Mendoo Foundation has been created because the victims of domestic violence want to offer the opportunity not only to bring themselves to safety but also their pets. In 2016, the first stay of my body house in Amsterdam was made animal-friendly and 13 of the 35 women’s shelters have become animal accessible. Also in Almere, Haarlem, Wormerveer, Alkmaar, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Arnhem, Apeldoorn, Groningen, Enschede, Tilburg and Leeuwarden, pets are welcome.
Stay in domestic violence situation
There appears to be a great necessity. If victims at authorities are told that their pet is not welcome, it appears that a large group of reason not to leave the domestic violence situation.
The Netherlands has around 800,000 cases of domestic violence annually. In the meantime, more than sixty percent of households in the Netherlands nowadays considers his or her pet as part of the family. Of the victims with pets, 33% indicate that the animal is used by the aggressor as a threat. More than half, 55 percent, say that they are not only being mistreated, but that the pet also gets by.
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Mendoo states that animal abuse is often a red flag for domestic violence.
More than 600 pets received
Where the cooperation with the reception locations is not yet arranged, Mendoo catches more than 600 neglected and abused pets per year among others. Furthermore, in collaboration with the KNMVD veterinary association, the foundation tries to increase the knowledge at veterinarians to recognize not only animal abuse but also signs of domestic violence.