Josie’s Journey

Josie’s Journey is a not-for-profit canine comfort business.  Our handler/dog teams provide comfort to individuals, families, organizations, childcare centers and schools, to name a few.  Any of us who love dogs know that there isn’t anything more comforting than spending time in the presence of a dog. We often get questions about what a comfort dog is. 

Therapy dogs are sometimes called comfort dogs.  They support a person’s mental health by providing attention and comfort. We are not able to change what has happened or the stressful situation at hand, but we are committed to providing love and support to help them cope with the stress. Canine comfort dogs offer a calming non-judgmental presence that increases self-esteem and confidence while dealing with the stressful situation.   

Spending time with animals has been scientifically proven to have physical and mental health benefits. Scientists have discovered that when individuals interact with animals, they have shown that such interactions can increase the mood-boosting hormone oxytocin, increase dopamine (happiness) levels, and decrease the stress hormone cortisol.  Below are some of the physical and mental benefits of spending time with canine comfort dogs.

Physical Benefits – reduces blood pressure and heart rate.  Improves cardiovascular health, lowers pain levels and improves a person’s psychological state when dealing with crisis or stressful situations. 

Mental Health Benefits – decreases depression, feelings of loneliness and anxiety.  Lifts a person’s spirits, increases confidence, self-esteem, communication skills and the ability to cope with a stressful situation.  

Our vision at Josie’s Journey is to provide free comfort sessions in our community using volunteers, grants, donations and sponsors.  We are looking for Handler/Dog teams to join us on our journey of providing comfort in our community.  If you would like to get involved, please reach out to us.  If you have an idea of how we can meet a need in our community, we would love to hear from you.  As a new business in our community, we are excited about meeting new people and learning more about how we can best help our community heal.  

Tammy Barrows-Goddard
Owner of Josie’s Journey