2016 Fun Facts:
Brave Girls by Stacey Radin is now available in paperback!
- Our Brave Girls Campaign met its fundraising goal of $30k with support by our generous donors.
Many thanks to our engaged and vibrant Unleashed community!
-Unleashed is planning a  Brave Summit to take place October 2016, bringing women and girls together to be powerful change makers. We are looking for planning committee members, speakers, panelists, and companies who want to partner. If interested please contact Stacey Radin via email  stacey@unleashedny.org.
Unleashed Pups: 
Polly's Rescue Story
 
Polly was one of three pups in a rural North Carolina shelter along with their mom, Holly. A volunteer at the shelter posted on Facebook that the family needed rescue because they have a 90% kill rate and sadly, the shelter had just euthanized two litters of puppies the prior week.  Upon seeing this post, Unleashed volunteered to take the entire family and the shelter manager approved. Although an hour away from our Puppy Nursery, we recruited a volunteer to go pick them up.

Two days later we were informed that we could not have the puppies. It was a week before Christmas and the shelter manager wanted to adopt them and receive an adoption fee of $100 each. She was willing to give us the mom for $10. We knew this could only end badly and made the decision to "adopt" each of the puppies and "rescue" the mom. When our volunteer arrived at the shelter she knew that both Polly and Holly (mom) were going to be euthanized, had they not been rescued by Unleashed. While the other two adorable, outgoing, fluffy puppies had received shots, Polly, who was very scared and shy, and her mom had not.

After three weeks of quarantine and Unleashed providing the family with proper health care, Polly arrived in New York City. She was timid but not scared and would let you hold her. She also loved other dogs and cats! Her sisters were adopted immediately, but Polly took some time. Luckily, an application came through from a woman who had lost her dog this past winter. She had discovered Polly on Petfinder and could not stop looking at her. In the interview she shared that the dog she lost had been her daughter's.  Her daughter had died at the age of 15 when thrown from a horse and having her dog with them was a way they held on to their connection. Polly reminded her of her daughter's dog and she couldn't stop thinking about her. Although she lived five hours away, she was willing to drive to NYC because she felt such a deep connection. Polly is now living on a farm with Nancy and her husband and gets a lot of play time with Nancy's son's dog and daughter who live on the other end of the property. She is still a little shy but loves her new family and is now living the life she deserves. We are so happy for Polly and thankful for everyone who helped contribute to Polly's rescue. 

Women in Wine Event: 
Join us on February 20th
 
Join us for a wine tasting event celebrating Brave Girls and Women featuring over 50 wines by female winemakers and sommeliers.  

The event will take place on Saturday, February 20th from 4-7pm at Le Du's Wines on 600 Washington Street in NYC. Tickets are limited and can be purchased for $60 by clicking here

Bring your friends and/or significant others and help us celebrate women in wine while drinking wine! http://unleashedwine.eventbrite.com


 
Like our Facebook page for more info about upcoming events!

Also follow us on Twitter and Instagram @UnleashedNYOrg 

 

In This Issue
 
Unleashed Pup is Going to The Puppy Bowl!

Our adorable pup Dilly is going for a win at the Puppy Bowl this weekend! Watch her and her furry friends compete on Sunday, February 7th from 3-5pm ET on Animal Planet. Dilly will be playing for #TeamRuff and we cannot wait to cheer her on and follow her at #PuppyBowl. In preparation for Puppy Bowl 2016, Animal Planet worked with Unleashed and 43 other animal shelters and rescue organizations from across the country to fill the rosters of #TeamRuff (Dilly!) and #TeamFluff with adoptable players. We are excited to see our girl in action - GO DILLY!

 
By Stacey Radin

Veanne Robinson joined Unleashed as a 6th grade student at Lab Middle School in the fall of 2011. Her team was so engaged that we decided to pilot Unleashed 2, an advanced version of Unleashed. As a result, Veanne was an Unleashed girls for her entire 6th grade year. Over the course of that year, the girls advocated for banning the use of prong collars and launched a petition to encourage pet stores to stop selling them in New York City. That spring, they hosted an awareness event at New York Dog Spa, grooming dogs while providing education about the dangers of prong collars while also encouraging people to adopt, not shop. Then, in 8th grade, Veanne decided to join Unleashed again so she could participate before graduating middle school. She was a great leader and mentor for the younger girls and worked hard to create two booths for Unleashed Leads Day Spring 2014. Now, as a 10th grade student at LaGuardia, where she majors in voice, Veanne has decided to once again be an Unleashed girl. This time as a Paw Squad member, our high school team that meets monthly and serves as a junior advisory board. Veanne is very interested in fundraising and is planning a talent show to be hosted at LaGuardia, a competitive performing arts school located on the west side of Manhattan. We love when our Unleashed girls stay engaged over the course of many years!