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The Gentle Barn is a national nonprofit organization, founded in 1999 as a safe haven and place of recovery for severely abused animals. The Gentle Barn offers their unique philosophy of rehabilitating animals and connecting their stories of survival and healing to the personal experiences of inner city, at-risk and special needs children who have suffered physical, mental, or emotional trauma. By interacting with The Gentle Barn’s approximate two hundred animals and taking a hands-on role in their welfare, those who participate in the programs at The Gentle Barn learn empathy, trust, and forgiveness. The Gentle Barn is run by Founder Ellie Laks and her husband and Co-founder Jay Weiner, both of whom were healed and supported by animals as children. The Gentle Barn’s mission is simple: “Inspiring Kindness and Compassion towards Animals, Our Planet, and Each Other.”

Our Mission: To help those who have served our country honorably live with dignity and independence. The service dog programs of America’s VetDogs® were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance. Not only does a service dog provide support with daily activities, it provides the motivation to tackle new challenges. VetDogs trains and places guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision; PTSD service dogs to help mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder; hearing dogs for those who have lost their hearing later in life; service dogs for those with other physical disabilities, and facility dogs as part of the rehabilitation process in military and VA hospitals. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog; however, all of VetDogs’ services are provided at no charge to the individual. Funding comes from the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, businesses, and service and fraternal clubs. Once they make the decision to get a service dog, applicants become part of VetDogs’ open and welcoming community. They are supported with an uncompromised commitment to excellence, from highly empathetic and certified trainers to a meticulously constructed curriculum. VetDogs teams each student with the dog that’s right for them – and the power of their bond makes ordinary moments extraordinary. Crossing the street independently becomes a moment of liberation. Traveling alone becomes a welcome adventure. Embracing new experiences becomes an everyday occurrence. America’s VetDogs launched in 2003 as a project of the Guide Dog Foundation. In 2006, it became a separate 501(c)(3) corporation; the two organizations continue to share staff and other resources to ensure people with disabilities receive the best services possible. With an assistance dog from America's VetDogs by their side, a hero is never alone. With their courage and determination, these remarkable teams reconnect us all to the highest form of freedom there is: the freedom to experience the world around us in any way we choose, and to live without boundaries.

Mission Statement: To assist U.S. military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as local shelter dogs by providing integrative service dog training and mental health support to veterans and their families.

To help heal the emotional wounds of military Veterans by using the power of the human-animal bond to provide a second chance for shelter animals by rescuing, training and pairing them with America's servicemen and women who could benefit from having a companion animal.

Combat veteran founded and operated, Semper K9’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for wounded members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families by providing them custom-trained service dogs. Using rescued and donated dogs Semper K9 provides mental health mobility service dogs for psychiatric alert and mobility challenges free of charge to disabled veterans across the country.

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to foster, promote, and improve the versatile hunting dog breeds in North America; to conserve game by using well trained reliable hunting dogs on both land and water; and to aid in the prevention of cruelty to animals by discouraging nonselective and uncontrolled breeding which produces unwanted and uncared for dogs.

Paws Assisting Veterans is dedicated to improving the lives of veterans suffering from mental and/or physical disabilities through trained service dogs, empowering them and their families to achieve lifelong successes and to pave their way home.

Tails of Valor®, Paws of Honor, Inc (TOV) was established in 2014 with a mission to provide rehabilitation through non-medicinal therapies. Our animal assisted therapy rehabilitation programs provide social interactions and human/canine bonding resulting in service dogs able to assist with the physical and psychological issues affecting our Veterans and their families. Our canines can enhance a therapeutic environment which will reduce friction caused when experiencing social activities, thus leading to increased communication and focus. Our staff provides support needed for positive physical and mental health social interactions during training sessions with our canines, all of who are named in honor of a fallen soldier. Support for Veteran and canine are life long.

to improve the health and well being of veterans with PTSD, TBI and other disabilities by providing and training service dogs at no cost to the veteran.

Friends of the Sea Otter is committed to and advocates for the conservation of sea otters and the preservation of their habitat through education, research, and policy decisions that will ensure the long-term survival of this species and the health of the marine coastal environment.