Dogs Give Us a Sense of Belonging

BE-LONGING

We all long to belong and to feel a part of something--

a tribe, a clan, a family, a dog pack. 

Our dogs make us feel loved and wanted--

like we matter. We're integral parts of their dog pack--

as they are integral parts of ours. 

We belong to them as they belong to us.

Be-Longing 

A desire, or longing, to BE part of the group. 

Play with Enthusiasm and Howl with Exaltation

Dogs long to belong and be part of the pack.

They want to give of themselves

and to know your life is better 

because they're part of it.

Dogs are successful when they 

play with enthusiasm and howl with exaltation--

especially when they're able to show you how to do the same.

When you give in to being silly with your dog

that's when they jolly well know you belong to them!

Worthy of Belonging

"You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle,

but you are worthy of love and belonging." 

Brene Brown

The Dog Pack

Companion dogs of homeless Travelers provide 

comfort, connection, and a feeling of safety.

No matter where they go, they belong.

In Dogs We Trust

Trust is letting go of the need to know 

all the details before we open our hearts. 

Dogs help us open our hearts sooner.

Belonging on the Open Road

To be bound by ties of affection, 

dependence, allegiance, or membership

to have a proper or usual place.

A Sense of Belonging is an Irreducible Need 

"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. 

We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired

to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, 

we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. 

We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick." 

Brene Brown

"Besides individual things like thunder and gunshots, 

what dogs fear most is not belonging, being alone."

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Thank You to the Jackson County Animal Shelter and FOTAS

All of the dogs shown are either Jackson County Animal Shelter dogs 
waiting to be adopted, or part of the Friends of the Jackson County Animal Shelter 
Street Dog Program--that provides free spay/neutering, 
 other essentials to improve the health of companion dogs for 
the homeless while decreasing the number of stray animals.

FOTAS is a non-profit volunteer organization filled with caring people who work 
to make the lives of dogs, cats and other animals more agreeable until they're adopted. 

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For more than 35 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes letting go and moving forward with life easier than ever before.
                                                            

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