Continuing Jeff Fink’s Mission Through the Go Fetch Wellness Legacy Fund

Earl and a New Understanding

In 2012, Jeff adopted Earl, a spirited golden retriever who became his psychiatric service dog and constant companion. Their relationship profoundly shaped Jeff’s understanding of the role animals can play in supporting mental health and well-being. Inspired by that experience, Jeff sought to better understand the science behind the human–animal bond and enrolled in IHAC’s Animals and Human Health program, earning a professional certificate.

Jeff's work was informed by his own lived experience with mental health challenges. That perspective brought authenticity to his advocacy and shaped his commitment to helping others find support and understanding.

Building Go Fetch Wellness

Jeff became one of the most passionate and visible advocates for the field. In 2013, he founded Go Fetch Wellness, an innovative mental health advocacy initiative designed to reduce stigma, foster connection, and increase awareness of the ways animals can support people facing mental health challenges. Combining lived experience with a deep commitment to education, Jeff shared his message with healthcare providers, universities, businesses, community organizations, and individuals seeking hope and understanding.

With Earl by his side, Jeff engaged thousands of people in conversations about mental health, resilience, and the value of meaningful relationships—both human and animal. His presentations were known for their authenticity, humor, and compassion. Audiences responded not only to his knowledge, but also to his ability to make people feel seen, understood, and less alone.

“Go Fetch Wellness was formed with the belief that the human–animal bond can be a transformative part of a whole-person approach to mental wellness,” says IHAC Founder and Clinical Professor Philip Tedeschi. “Jeff became an expert and ambassador for this work. He helped people understand both the science and the lived experience behind the human–animal connection.”

Practical Pathways to Wellness

Jeff was especially passionate about helping others discover practical pathways toward wellness. He taught that caring for an animal, building routines, spending time outdoors, and fostering connection could become meaningful tools in a broader

mental health journey. His advocacy helped advance public understanding of how companion animals can contribute to emotional well-being and quality of life.

Following an extended journey with his mental health, Jeff made the profoundly personal decision to pursue voluntary assisted death in Switzerland — a legal process available only to individuals who satisfy stringent criteria and act with full clarity and intention. He was thereby able to die peacefully, having lived a life defined by courage, dignity, and thoughtfulness.

Carrying Jeff’s Mission Forward

Jeff spent his life helping others feel seen, understood, and less alone. Established by his family—his parents, Neal and Jean Fink; his sister, Jodi Halpert, and her husband, Ben—and close friends, Jason and Jacqueline Flake and Ashley Freuler, the Jeff Fink – Go Fetch Wellness Legacy Fund carries that spirit forward. The fund supports the students, alumni, and practitioners who will shape the future of the human–animal bond, as well as the Institute for Human–Animal Connection that made Jeff’s work possible.

Every scholarship, every classroom, and every new advocate continues the message Jeff shared so generously. If you would like to be part of that legacy, you are warmly invited to support the fund and help Jeff’s work reach the people who need it most.

Click here to make a donation.