Am I the only one who wonders, "Can dogs have ADHD?" Honestly, I don’t know for sure. I’m not a veterinarian or a scientist, and I haven’t even looked for solid research proving it one way or the other. But based on my experience with my dog, View, I do believe dogs can be neurodivergent.

View is just... different. He has some odd connective tissue quirks—his version of "frog dog" isn’t the usual stretch-back position; instead, his knees go out to the sides. He’s also had mysterious lameness issues that made me suspect a cruciate tear—twice. Vet visits and X-rays showed nothing abnormal both times. He also has some interesting self-soothing behaviors, like sucking on his feet and soft toys.

One of the biggest things that stands out about View is his difficulty with regulation. If I so much as open a drawer in the kitchen, pull weeds, dust, open the freezer, reach into a cabinet, or empty the dishwasher, he has to noisily kill a toy. It’s like he has to channel his energy somewhere, and that’s how it comes out. He’s also incredibly sensitive and overreacts when another dog 'corrects' him for his bad behavior—so much so that I swear he has rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD). Things just seem a little harder for him than for other dogs. He doesn’t pick up on typical dog social cues, and while he’s the sweetest boy, he’s just... different.

The first time I did a flyball (restrained) puppy recall with him, he trotted off in a different direction. I'd never had a puppy not chase me as I screamed their name and ran away with a tug dragging in front of their face. Later, we dabbled in agility—I’m mostly a dabbler these days. I dabble in things here and there. But agility just wasn’t for him. He didn’t seem to enjoy it. It seemed like the pressure of doing specific tasks on demand was too much for him - and I don't feel like I put a of pressure on my dogs in training. Instead of forcing it, I found something that did work for him—nose work. He absolutely loves it and is really good at it.

Having View in my life has also changed the way I approach everyday things. He loves to bark. Not just occasionally—like, all the time. Like I mentioned—when I open my eyes in the morning, when I get ice, clean, etc. It’s just who he is. I used to think I could never live with that, but here I am. Unlike my past dogs, life with View requires a lot more management and flexibility. And that’s okay.

The truth is, sometimes when we bring a dog into our lives, they’re not exactly what we expected. But that’s the risk we take when choosing to love another being. Instead of forcing them into a mold, the best way to honor our dogs is to work with who they are and accept them for it. You’ll both be happier for it.