Josh Hofmann

Experience

1. President Founder

   Paws Your Game

   Apr 2018 — Present · Parkland, FL, US

   In 2017, my beloved rescue dog, Sophie had to be put to sleep because of a rare genetic disorder. Immediately after, my sanity began to come apart from the seams. I struggled with mental illness and the loss of Sophie became overwhelming. I said goodbye to one of my closest friends; a friend I met through World of Warcraft roughly 9+ years prior. His actions would later be the reason you’re reading this and why Paws Your Game even exists today. Two days after my attempt, I spent 10 days in psychiatric care and then two months in residential treatment. Being in treatment gave me a chance to reset, to ponder why I ended up there in the first place. The first day of group therapy, I walked into the auditorium and noticed an urn on one of the shelves. Above it was a picture of a dog and the words \"In Loving Memory of Sophie\". I thought it was a joke at first or some kind of exposure therapy, but it wasn’t. There was a therapy dog named Sophie that the patients cared for and loved, just like mine did for me. I knew at that moment the reason I was there, and my purpose to keep going.During my time in treatment, I came to realize that I didn’t actually want to die. I just wanted my life to drastically change and I didn’t know how to do that. I realized I’d rather honor Sophie\'s memory and thank the gaming community for saving my life. I know the financial struggles that animal rescues face and wanted to help them, as well as gamers that suffer from mental illnesses. Roughly thirty million people a year are looking to adopt an animal companion. About six million animals enter shelters every year and approximately two million of them are killed. However, only 1% of of them are irremediably suffering. Paws Your Game’s mission is to help provide local animal shelters, rescues, and animal sanctuaries with more resources for the animals they help rescue through video game marathons hosted by Paws Your Game.