Phew! 2012 has been just a crazy year! So much has happened both in Australia and overseas, it's been hard work keeping up with everything. To make it easier for you to see what's been happening - here's a countdown of the Top 10 "Most Liked" stories on Unleashed for 2012. Hope you enjoyed them!

	10. Your chance to help dogs. Dogs love people ... and in 2012 people proved how much they love dogs with massive rallies to support Oscar's Law across the east coast.
	9. Hero pig saves baby goat from drowning! *Hero pig, hero pig, does whatever a hero pig does* Watch the drama unfold!
	8. The Great Rabbit Rescue. 300 rabbits kept in terrible conditions; 3 amazing rescue organisations; 1 audacious plan to get the rabbits out of there...
	7. Man rescued at sea by unlikely hero. A man lost at sea for FOUR MONTHS tells of his unbelievable rescue. And the hero is one you may not expect. (SPOILER: it's not a mermaid.)
	6. Rodeo cruelty continues. Another Australian rodeo ... another horrible example of animal cruelty. WARNING: footage is not easy to watch.
	5. Boots hiding UGGly cruelty. I'd rather have Hobbit feet than be seen in a pair of these! Find out why...
	4. Puma says leather's got to go! Sportswear giant Puma have scored some big points on the 'animal friendly' score board with news that it's considering giving leather the boot!
	3. 50 cows make a break for it! You'll be cheering on the underdog undercow in this heart-stopping escape story. BONUS music video!
	2. First humans on Mars will be vegan. The first human flight to Mars will have months of food supplied. And it's all going to be vegan! Where do I sign up to be an astronaut?!
	1. VICTORY!! This was major news in 2012. Find out why it was our #1 Most Liked story of the year!

2012 has been HUGE! Forget Gangnam Style, One Direction and Diablo 3 - this year has been all about animal rights. See what I mean with this inspiring year in review.

Everything in that vid was possible because of your support. So if you shared a campaign on Facebook, went to a rally, wrote an email to a politician, tweeted at a celeb, made a personal pledge against cruelty, or did anything else to support our work - then THANK YOU!!

All we want for Christmas is a world where all animals are free from fear and suffering. It's a good thing our New Year's Resolution is to make that happen! I hope you'll be a part of it in 2013!

You may not know where Costa Rica is on the map, but you'll be wishing we had politicians like theirs when you hear the decisions they've been making over there!

A brief timeline of excellent decisions in Costa Rica

1949: Abolishes their army. Becomes the most peaceful country in the region.
2007: Announces plan to become the world's first carbon-neutral country by 2021.
2012: Bans shark finning AND outlaws hunting for sport!

That's it! Sorry Julia and Tony, but I'm voting for a Costa Rican at our next election.

The law "will allow us to live in peace with other living things that share our planet," politician Victor Emilio Granadas said. "I believe this is a message we give to future generations, that an activity like sport hunting is not a sport but a cruelty."

And if you needed any proof of how right Victor is, just watch this report about hunting in Australia. It's a "sport" known as pig dogging , and be warned - it contains disturbing footage.

You can let our politicians know that you want them to follow the Costa Rican example by sending a message with the two actions below.

Call for an end to savage pig dogging

Keep sharks in the oceans and out of soup bowls

Now ... when's the next flight to Costa Rica?

Every year Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has the stress-filled job of guiding Santa's sleigh to make sure kids everywhere get their pressies. He's about due for a break don't you think? So here are five animals who could fill in for him with the amazing ability to find their way, no matter where they are.

	1. Howie the cat. Howie's Adelaide family left him with caretakers on the Gold Coast when they went travelling. Unfortunately, Howie made a break for it and it was feared that he would never be seen again. Fast forward a year and there's Howie sitting on the doorstep ... in Adelaide. The persistent Persian had travelled over 1500 kms to get home. And didn't use Google Maps once!
	2. Loggerhead turtles. As well as having a great name, these turtles also have a great sense of direction. After birth, these guys hit the water and start an epic journey that takes them around the ocean. When they are ready to have their own babies, females return to the same beach where they were born more than 20 years earlier! Think of that next time you forget where you put your keys five minutes ago :P
	3. Chica the border collie. A dog playing fetch is pretty cool, but a blind dog playing fetch?? That's awesome. Chica had both eyes surgically removed when she was a pup, but still has the remarkable ability to chase a ball and return it. Check her out in action ...

	4. Misele the cat. Determined to help her human-dad when he was admitted to hospital, Misele crossed fields, forests and highways to visit him in hospital. Not only did she find the hospital he was in, she even found the right room! If laughter is the best medicine, then cats would have to be a close second.
	5. Piko-chan the lazy parakeet. When Piko-chan got lost one day, rather than trying to find his own way home, he simply squawked out his full address and got his rescuers to drop him off. I like the way you think, Piko-chan! The brainy bird had been taught how to recite his home address in case an emergency like this ever happened.

There you have it - five animals who would be ready to step up so Rudolph can take a break. OK, maybe four - Piko-chan might not be the greatest help in the world. But I bet you could teach him swear words, and that would definitely help create holiday cheer over Xmas lunch!

This Christmas, you can give animals the best present of all - by extending peace and goodwill to ALL, and making your meals cruelty-free. Find out more at the Unleashed Pardon a Pig page. There's even some cool e-cards there you can send out to your friends and family!

I've heard of teaching old dogs new tricks. But teaching dogs how to drive? You have to see it to believe it ...

Two months ago, the SPCA in New Zealand launched a super-creative campaign. Their plan was to teach three rescue dogs how to drive cars. They did this to increase adoption rates by proving that rescue dogs are in no way inferior to any other dogs. Under the slogan, "Dogs this smart deserve a home", our three hairy heroes began their lessons.

And this is how it went. Get ready to smile!

Pretty awesome, hey?

Both Porter and the SPCA deserve a huge round of applause for what they've achieved. Encouraging people to adopt a dog is such a great idea. With 1000s of dogs being killed in pounds every year, choosing to adopt could literally save a life.

Find out more about adopting a dog; then promise to be a lifesaver yourself by taking the pledge to always adopt rather than buy when it comes to companion animals. And if you do that, then I think you deserve a round of applause, too :)

Has your dog got any funny or impressive tricks? My cat's best trick is luring people close enough to bite them. Can you beat that?

Here's a fun campaign against fur that's sure to raise a few eyebrows. WARNING: it is a little risque, but it's WAY less shocking than the day-to-day cruelty of the fur industry.

International animal protection organisation Four Paws wants you to join their naked parade against fur. BUT WAIT!! Before you start freaking everyone out by taking your clothes off in the school library (again) - the parade is only for little naked avatars that you create at their website. Click the little dude to the left to create your own "Naketar" and join the parade against fashion companies which for some reason are still using fur.

So now the naked part is out of the way - here's Four Fur Facts for you to keep in mind.

1. It's not just exotic animals like lynxes and seal cubs that meet a horrible end before becoming a gross piece of clothing. Every year in China alone over 2 million dogs and cats are killed for their fur. Some still have collars on, which means that they were probably someone's best friend at one point.

2. Across Europe millions of fur-bearing animals are kept in shocking conditions on "fur farms". If you're very brave, you can see what their lives are like for yourself with this footage from Finland.

3. In 2012, Australia became the first country in the world where all major department stores have refused to sell fur! David Jones, Myer, Target, Big W and Kmart have all pledged to be fur-free as of immediately. (That's awesome guys - leather next, hey?)

4. You can join the big stores in going fur-free by taking the pledge to wear your own skin. It's hard to imagine the awful life of an animal in a fur-farm, but it's easy to help them - simply refuse to wear fur, and encourage your friends and family to join you.

What do you think when you see someone wearing fur? And what are your thoughts on faux fur?

Stop whatever you're doing - I've got major news! Archaeologists in North Korea have confirmed the existence of unicorns! That's right - unicorns. Mind = Blown.

OK, so a lot of the 'news' that comes out of North Korea may not strictly be "true" or "sane", so maybe we should be a little sceptical about this recent discovery. I mean, this is the same country that said their last president learnt to walk when he was three weeks old. The good news though is that there were plenty of other amazing (and actually true) stories that took place this year. Here's a run-down of the Top Five most amazing stories for 2012.

	1. Boy is adopted by marmots. Austrian kid Matteo Walch has been welcomed into a community of normally shy (and normally adorable) marmots. See more pictures here, and discover how Matteo and his marmot mates are part of the biggest scientific announcement of the year.
	2. Man + crocodile = BFF. The story of an unlikely friendship between Chito and Pocho. If these two can be homeys, then why is the NT doing the complete opposite and trying to reintroduce safari hunting in the NT?? Find out why and how you can stop them.
	3. Politicians want kids to go hunting. This year the NSW government wanted to allow 12 year olds to go out hunting by themselves! This mad scheme was canned after a flood of emails from Unleashed and Animals Australia members. Get the full story then take action to help save even more animals.
	4. This year was full of amazing rescue stories too. A shark saved a man; a pig saved a goat; and an iron-woman saved a dog. Read the stories then become a lifesaver yourself!
	5. Pigs CAN fly! This was the most amazing story of the year. In October, Animals Australia launched the biggest campaign ever to make a kinder world for animals by ending factory farming. Since the launch, almost 90,000 people have pledged to Make it Possible - giving hope to pigs and chickens being mistreated behind closed doors. You can be a part of this story by taking the pledge yourself. You never know, YOU might be the 100,000th person to join the campaign! Now THAT would be amazing.

Which of the stories here did you like the most? Let me know in the comments :)