Josie’s Journey

A few years back I said goodbye to the sweetest dog ever, Josephine.  For 12 years, she was my everyday boost of love and comfort.  No matter what, I had my Josie girl.  I was so fortunate to have been given the gift of such a special dog and knew that I had to find a way to honor her memory.  In 2019 I formed a non-for-profit in her memory, Josie’s Journey, a Canine Comfort Business. I can’t think of a better way to honor her.  Any of us who love dogs or any animal for that matter, know exactly what I mean when I say loving an animal is life changing.  When we lose a dog, we feel like we could never love another dog.  I came across a sweet explanation by a 6-year-old that helped me better understand why it was important for me to fill my life with dogs and honor Josie’s memory.  

The boy said:

“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life, like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”

“Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Honoring Josie is the easy part, living without her is the hard part.  I feel so fortunate to have a passion that not only helps me but helps others. 

What is Josie’s Journey?  Josie’s Journey is a Canine Comfort Service.  Our mission is using the presence of canines to provide support, comfort and encouragement to individuals and/or groups during times of crisis and stressful situations.  

Our vision is through the use of volunteers, grant funds, sponsorships and donations, canines will provide free comfort sessions.

Who do we serve?  We are here to support anyone and everyone in need in our community.

Where do we provide comfort?  We go where the need is.  We want to hear from our community about what and where the need is.  Some of our recent canine comfort sessions have been at The Child Development Center, JM Murray Center and The Child Advocacy Center.

How can you get involved?  Volunteer to socialize and snuggle dogs.  Become a handler/dog team and help us provide comfort sessions.  We are also looking for anyone who may be interested in sponsoring a handler/dog certification process. 

Please reach out if you would like to get involved!

Tammy Barrows-Goddard
Founder, Josie’s Journey