Chicago - Officially Launching June 2026
Unleashed Justice Animal Rescue is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to pets whose people are navigating incarceration, deportation, domestic violence, eviction, and other legal crises. We foster, rehome, and when possible, reunite.
"We believe that compassion for animals cuts across every divide in our legal system. When a community shows up for animals caught in our human crossfire, it shows up for the people too."
Unleashed Justice Animal Rescue was founded by a Chicago attorney and law professor who spent her career watching legal systems disrupt families in ways that rarely make headlines. Housing lost. Sentences served. Crises that arrive without warning and leave people with nowhere to turn. And running through all of it, the same quiet detail - a pet with no plan.
From a growing awareness that when people suffer, their pets do too, Unleashed Justice was born. Conceptualized in 2025 after a period of particular upheaval and community destabilization in Chicago, this awareness led to building a community of advocates with careers on different sides of the same problems inside Cook County legal systems and beyond - defense attorneys, prosecutors, social workers, law enforcement, and other roles navigating gaps between what the law does and what our communities actually need, uniting for the common good of animals.
"We exist because no pet should pay the price for the failures of our human systems."
Officially launching in Summer 2026, Unleashed Justice Animal Rescue provides pet owners with support during unsettling times that involve difficult decisions. We rescue and rehome pets whose guardians are navigating legal crises such as arrest/incarceration, deportation, domestic violence, eviction, and more. We work alongside legal aid organizations, government agencies, and social service providers already present when crisis hits. And when reunification is possible, we help to make it happen.
Referrals come directly from pet owners in crisis, and from the organizations, attorneys, and social service providers already working with them.
A pet owner is facing arrest, incarceration, deportation, domestic violence, eviction, or another legal crisis. They reach out directly or are referred to us by a partner.
We place the dog or other animal with a safe, vetted foster in our network while the situation unfolds. Owners must complete a transfer form.
Reunification when possible. A forever home when it's not. Every outcome is handled with care for both the animal and the family they came from.
Fostering with Unleashed Justice Animal Rescue means opening your home to a pet in genuine crisis - one whose person is facing a legal emergency with no safe alternative. Our fosters are the backbone of everything we do, and the animals in your care are there because they truly need you.
We provide veterinary support, supplies, and guidance. You provide a safe, loving home.
You don't need experience - you need patience, reliability, and a home where a pet can feel safe. We work with apartments and houses, singles and families.
Our fosters understand that the dogs and other animals in their care may have come from chaotic circumstances. We provide a comprehensive foster guide and training to set you up for success.
Launching June 2026. Get on our foster list now.
Get on the listLaunching June 2026. Sign up to stay connected.
Stay connectedUnleashed Justice Animal Rescue is a rescue organization in formation. Whether you foster, donate, partner, or spread the word - every form of support will help us show up for animals in crisis.
One-time or recurring giving directly supports the animals in our care and the people who open their homes to them.
Donate now →Community based organizations, attorneys, social service agencies - if you work with people in crisis, we want to work with you.
Partner with us →Share our mission with your network. The more people who know we exist, the more pets we can help.
unleashedjustice.org →Whether you're interested in fostering, partnering with us, making a donation, or just learning more - reach out.
Chicago, Illinois
Launching June 2026