Volunteer Spotlight: Joanita Mathews-Smith
Though Joanita Mathews-Smith has been a volunteer at BARCS for only five months, she has made a huge impact on both the animals and those who care for them—staff and other volunteers.
After 10 years in the Air Force, Jo transferred to the United States Space Force. She is being sent to Colorado, so her all too short time at BARCS has just come to an end.
Jo first came to BARCS three years ago with her husband, looking to adopt a young male dog. Then, she met Cupcake. Cupcake was a senior dog who had been returned. She had both physical and psychological wounds, but all Jo saw was a dog who needed love.
“I dreamed about her that night,” she says. So, the next day, she and her husband went back to the shelter and adopted her.
“She changed my whole life,” Jo says. The year and a half they had with her was not without difficulties, but once they got her on medication, she became the sweet, loving dog Jo knew she could be.
Jo is no stranger to animals. She grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana with horses, cattle, sheep, goats and four dogs. And while the dogs lived on a ranch, there was no question they were pets.
“Our animals at the ranch, even the horses, have better lives than a lot of people,” she says. So Jo grew up with not just love, but respect and compassion for all animals.
After adopting Cupcake, Jo wanted to come back to BARCS to volunteer. One of her biggest regrets is that she did not volunteer sooner, because once she did, “I was obsessed.” She would go to work at 5 am, work until 1 pm, then head to BARCS.
Her time at BARCS “has changed the way I see the world,” she says. “You see what they have gone through, yet they still have so much love to give.”
She also says she loves the people at BARCS. “When I come in, I get to see Hannah, Lily, Erica, Brian—so many wonderful people.”
“I started volunteering because I wanted to do something to give back,” she says, but in reality, “I get more out of it than the dogs. My little problems take a back seat and if I get to BARCS in a bad mood, it’s gone almost instantly.”
While she loves all the dogs she walks, a few stand out. “Lavender broke my heart. I would take him out and we would just sit.” One of her happiest days was when he was adopted. “And Hazel was so special. My phone is filled with thousands of photos of dogs from BARCS.”
Right now, Jo and her husband have two rescue dogs who, of course, will be moving to Colorado. Her parents are flying out from Montana to help her move. Her father will drive a moving truck towing her car. His companion will be Cola, one of her dogs. She and her mother will be driving a truck with Goose, her other dog. Her husband will be flying and meeting them at their new home.
During her last visit to BARCS, she could not help but get teary thinking of how much she will miss it. One of her first tasks will be finding a shelter to continue volunteering. And while she is looking forward to living in an area more akin to where she grew up, BARCS will always hold a special place in her heart.
“BARCS taught me about priorities,” Jo says. “Volunteering here has been one of the most important things I’ve done in my life. I will never forget that.”
The staff and volunteers won’t forget Jo and the positive impact she has had on both the dogs and people she encountered. While we will miss her, we wish her nothing but wonderful experiences in Colorado.
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