UnChained
UNLEASHING HUMAN POTENTIAL,
ONE DOG AT A TIME.
A Decade of Work
Since 2011, UnChained has paired justice-involved youth across California’s Central Coast with local dog rescues and facilitated the programs where the real work happens. Over more than a decade, this pairing has produced measurable impact in community safety and personal agency for both the young people and the dogs who move through it together.
Defying the Mechanisms of Society
Justice-involved youth and local rescue dogs carry the same stress responses from systems that prioritize control over choice. UnChained brings them together in programs across the Central Coast so both can practice choosing safety.
Our partnerships with Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, Delta High School in Aptos, and juvenile halls in San Jose and Santa Cruz prove that real community safety starts when we meet the being in front of us instead of the label attached to them.
The Mission Continues in Monterey County
Right here in Salinas at Monterey County Juvenile Hall, UnChained runs the Canines Teaching Compassion program on California’s Central Coast. Gigi, our permanent resident dog, lives and works on site with the youth so both have a consistent place to practice choosing safety together.
As we add new rounds of programs this summer, the same pairing of youth and dogs continues across Monterey County — showing what real change looks like when dogs and young people work side by side.
Follow our updates and keep supporting the mission as we continue unleashing human potential, one dog at a time.
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MAKE A DONATION
Support UnChained by making a simple donation or celebrate a beloved pet, person or event with a special in-honor donation to create new opportunities for our community’s youth and the dogs they train.