5 Tips to Integrate a Dog into Your Autistic Life
I adopted my dog Egon for my 36th birthday. I’d been thinking about it for a while and I decided it was an appropriate time in my life.
Little did I know, adopting Egon would bring one of the biggest autistic meltdowns of my life. Once he was in my home, I realized I didn’t really know if I could be everything he needed. Furthermore, it was obvious how little I knew about dogs as I tried to figure out what he wanted and needed. On top of that, I was overwhelmed by the changes to my daily routine. It also impacted my work, as I brought him with me to see clients. I tried to work with a dog trainer, whose methods and style only made things more difficult and confusing.
I’ve captured these experiences in my essays about Adjusting to Life with a Dog When You’re Autistic and I Have a Therapy Dog, Sort Of.
It’s been a year now since I adopted Egon. Things are SO MUCH better. I’d like to distill the key points for anyone else struggling to integrate a new dog into their autistic life.
1. It was hard BECAUSE IT WAS HARD. In the beginning I often beat myself up wondering, “Why is this so hard for me? Why can’t I just love my dog like everyone else does?” Looking back, it makes perfect sense why it was so hard. It grated against every aspect of my autistic challenges. He also had difficult…
