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Heifer International's mission is to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth using gifts of livestock, seeds, trees and training in sustainable agriculture community development projects to help millions of people become self-reliant. Since 1944, Heifer has helped transform the lives of more than 18.5 million families (94.5 million people) by giving them gifts of cows, goats and other livestock. Along with the animals, families receive training in animal care and conservation for environmentally sound agricultural development. We also provide training in community development, gender equity, sharing and caring, strategic planning and other subjects as needed, including literacy. The process takes several years and is not declared successful until the community shows sustained improvement in nutrition, income and self-reliance. Each family that receives an animal agrees to Pass on the Gift by sharing the first-born female offspring of their animal with another family in need, so each gift of livestock starts a chain of self-reliance that spreads throughout  entire communities.

Our founder and Executive Director, Jennifer Arnold, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a teenager and spent two years using a wheelchair. It was a difficult time for her as she felt isolated, alone, and dependent on those around her. Her father, a physician in Atlanta, heard about an organiztion that trained service dogs to help people in wheelchairs. The program, which was located in California, had a long waiting list and worked mainly with those in their own region, so her father decided to start a similar program in Georgia. Three weeks after the first planning meeting for Canine Assistants, her father was hit and killed by a drunk driver while he was taking a walk. Determined to accomplish her dream and complete what her father had started, it took Jennifer and her mother ten years of hard work and dedication to open the program. Fortunately, Jennifer no longer needs a wheelchair, yet she fully understands the needs and concerns of others with physical disabilities. We no longer want people with disabilities to feel isolated and dependant on others. The dogs trained at Canine Assistants can turn lights on and off, open doors, pull wheelchairs retrieve dropped objects, summon help, and provide secure companionshieven more important than the physical skills they possess, is their ability to eliminate feelings of fear isolation, and loneliness felt by their companions. One Canine Assistants' recipient made the value of this skill quite clear when asked by a reporter what she like most about her service dog, immediately she responded, "My service dog makes my wheelchair disappear."

To end economic euthanasia! Significantly reduce companion animal suffering and overpopulation throughout theworld, through safe and efficient sterilization techniques, education, and adoption.