Influence Positively Interview - Annie Brody
Annie Brody founded Camp Unleashed in 2004 after successful careers in book publishing and environmental education. She has a B.S. from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University where she studied initially with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.
Dogs have been her greatest passion since 1993 when she adopted her first dog from the NYC ASPCA--a lost golden retriever, whom she named Hero--and embarked on her ongoing journey to understand the extraordinary nature of the human-dog relationship.
In 1999 she moved from Manhattan to upstate New York so that Hero could live a more natural life including being able to run free off leash and so that Annie could invite more dogs to live with them. The delight she and Hero experienced inspired her to start Camp Unleashed so that other dogs and people would have a safe natural place to go to be together, without leashes!
What is your idea of perfect happiness? I love an early morning walk through the woods with my dogs, ending up in a pond for them to swim in. Perfection would be having someone else to wash them off afterwards.
If you could come back as a dog or a cat, which one would it be and why? No hesitation - dog for sure. (And I have a cat and love him dearly.) Although to tell the truth I think I was a dog who came back as a human!
What is your pets most treasured possession? For Mandy, my 12 year old lab mutt, it would be any object i pick up and throw that she can retrieve. For Rocky, my 9 year old Aussie, it would definitely be anything edible.
Your proudest achievement so far? My proudest achievement is establishing Camp Unleashed. It's an ongoing blessing to hear from campers how they and their dogs have been affected by the freedom of four days off leash in nature, in a community of fellow dog lovers.
Who are your heroes in real life? Women who follow their instincts and inner wisdom and challenge the status quo for the greater good. Cultural activists such as Margaret Mead, Martha Graham, Jane Goodall, Temple Grandin.