ABOUT UNCHAINED
UnChained transforms lives on California’s Central Coast by bringing together two groups too often overlooked: youth navigating incarceration, foster care, and instability — and dogs abandoned to crowded shelters. Both have been labeled, written off, or left behind.
When we bring them together, healing begins.
THE CRISIS WE FACE
Our community carries deep wounds. Youth in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties grow up in the shadow of gangs, poverty, and incarceration. Many have faced broken attachments, cycles of violence, or labels that define them before they are given a chance to grow.
At the same time, hundreds of shelter dogs each year face uncertain futures due to housing barriers, breed restrictions, or trauma histories that make adoption harder.
Both youth and dogs are casualties of systems that fail to nurture them. Both deserve patience, dignity, and second chances.
OUR APPROACH AND IMPACT
Through our Canines Teaching Compassion and Dogs In Residence programs, UnChained pairs youth and dogs as equals. Youth train and care for shelter dogs, building trust, patience, and empathy while preparing dogs for adoption. The transformation is mutual: dogs learn safety and stability; youth learn they are capable of creating safety and stability.
Every leash held becomes a lesson in responsibility. Every moment of care becomes proof that healing is possible.
Since 2011, UnChained has empowered over 540 youth and helped prepare more than 230 shelter dogs for adoption — with a 92% adoption rate within 30 days of graduating from our program.
These numbers are not just statistics; they represent futures rewritten. A young person who once felt hopeless learns that they matter. A dog who once cowered in a kennel now finds a family. Together, they remind us that transformation is real.
WE DON’T DO THIS WORK ALONE
Partners like Rancho Cielo Youth Campus and local animal rescues Peace of Mind Dog Rescue and Animal Friends Rescue Project have witnessed the same truth: youth and dogs grow stronger together.
Their feedback affirms what we see every day — that empathy, patience, and belonging ripple outward into families, classrooms, and neighborhoods.
OUR VISION
Graduates of our programs often return as volunteers, guiding new youth through the same journey they once walked. This cycle of mentorship shows the enduring impact of UnChained: not just in the moment, but in shaping the compassionate community leaders of tomorrow.
UnChained believes no youth or dog is beyond hope. By centering the human–animal bond, we create spaces where both can grow, belong, and heal. Our vision is a Central Coast where every young person and every dog has the chance to be seen not for their past, but for their potential.
We invite you to walk alongside us. Your involvement expands what is possible — more youth finding trust, more dogs finding homes, more futures reclaimed. Whether you volunteer, foster, donate, or simply share our story, you become part of building a more compassionate community for all.
