In the spirit of classics like Because of Winn Dixie and How to Steal a Dog comes the story of an underdog whose love inspires one girl to speak up for this traumatized puppy mill rescue as well as the others awaiting release from their locked cages. When sixth-grader Lily Grabowski takes in her teacher's puppy-mill rescue dog, without parental permission, it sets off a chain of events that challenges her dog smarts, self-esteem, and ideas about what it means to be a true friend. As Lily's heart opens to this tiny dog, complications mount. Cagney howls all day because of separation anxiety. Lily's nemesis neighbor threatens to call the dog warden about a noise nuisance. BFF drama threatens Lily's class project on why underdogs matter. Lily's over-protective mom issues a thirty-day ultimatum, and Lily's guilty conscience grows while a broken promise looms. “Charming and informative...poignant touching narrative ... Kloster shows how a young person can truly make a difference on an issue that matters to them.” --Rory Kress, award-winning journalist and author of The Doggie in The Window * A portion of profits from this book will be donated to organizations working to end puppy mills and to Northcentral Maltese Rescue Incorporated. "Lily Unleashed is a winner!" - SarahsBookReflections blog. "Great read, great cause." - Carolina Woman Magazine "Sensitive, accurate portrayal of a middle schooler's life and the challenges she faces trying to rehab her puppy mill dog into normal life." - Sheila Cradler, Special Education Administrator, Green Bay Area Public Schools Writing this book was a labor of love. I was inspired to speak for the voiceless dogs locked in puppy mill cages after adopting Cagney, a puppy mill survivor from a Wisconsin puppy mill in 2008. I knew nothing about puppy mills and had never even heard the term.  Writing this book changed my life by turning me into an animal welfare advocate. Through researching commercial dog breeding, I learned how it is that dogs are allowed to exist in inhumane conditions at these facilities.  It's because of inadequate oversight by the bureaucratic agency charged with seeing that their needs are met.  Cagney was my heart dog.  He inspired me to write a book that would educate readers about the pet-store-to-puppy-mill-pipeline as well as guiding them to adopt don't shop - go to your local rescues and shelters or find a reputable breeder where you get to meet the mother dog and see how the puppy was raised. Because once in a while that special dog comes along and changes everything.      Jo Anna Dressler Kloster is a former elementary teacher, an author, and a Humane Policy Volunteer Leader with the Humane Society of the United States. She works to better the lives of animals. She attends animal welfare events and staffs an informational table with her book, Lily Unleashed, informing the public on ways they can help end the puppy-mill-to-pet-store-pipeline.       Kloster's message is succinct and heartfelt, based on years of research on large-scale commercial dog breeding operations called puppy mills: Adopt don't shop for puppies at pet stores. Wonderful dogs are waiting at local shelters, rescues, and with reputable breeders.      Her goal is to "empty the puppy mill cages and let the dogs out." Her private publishing company, Empty Cages Press, is based on that goal.       Ms. Kloster resides not far from North Carolina's Crystal Coast.  You can find her shell hunting, kayaking, playing with her rescue dog Kiwi, creating scrumptious plant-based recipes, daydreaming about a sequel based on another animal welfare issue, or planning new adventures with her husband/best friend.