UnChained

SOQUEL, California, 95073-0441 United States

Mission Statement

UnChained provides an Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) program that changes the lives of kids and save the lives of dogs by matching at-risk youth and shelter dogs. During an 8-week training series, youth learn positive communication and interaction with one another by teaching rescue dogs good manners, social skills and basic commands. This training increases the dogs' chances of becoming adopted, while youth learn impulsivity-control, mastery of a skill, future orientation and the value of restorative justice. Our classes have been successfully incorporated with incarcerated youth at Juvenile Hall facilities, with foster youth at adoption agencies, and with students of all ages and backgrounds in school districts with a high percentage of at-risk students. Our program currently serves Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in California.

About This Cause

UnChained is a 501(c)3 non profit organization that partners with local schools and organizations to help reduce violence in our homes, schools and communities by implementing humane education and innovative animal-assisted therapy programs, in an effort to teach children and adults the values of respect, empathy, good citizenship and kindness towards one another. There is an established link that shows when people learn to feel compassion and empathy towards animals, these same values are transferred to human interaction, thus creating more healthy, positive sustainable relationships. Everyday, we learn of bullying incidents on school campuses, or of children becoming victims of abuse by their own parents. UnChained works to reduce and prevent interpersonal violence, child abuse and animal cruelty through education, outreach and animal assisted therapy, by collaborating with both human welfare and animal welfare organizations. Some of our finest teachers have tails! When an animal enters the classroom they show the students compassion, respect and empathy, unconditionally. When a dog shows kindness to a child with a tail wag, or a gentle lick on the hand, regardless of socioeconomic status, race or physical appearance, the child believes what the dog says; "You're perfect to me!". This human-animal interaction can be one of the first steps to "releasing compassion in humans".

UnChained
Po Box 441
SOQUEL, California 95073-0441
United States
Phone 831-818-8738
Unique Identifier 275502745