We have a 5 month old puppy who came to us via an amazing local rescue. He is a labradoodle, although he looks and acts far more Labrador than poodle. He gets on well with our older lab, Ned, he is best buddies with our rescue cat, Salem, and even gets on with the rescue ponies (there seems to be a rescue theme here!).

Image description: Labradoodle puppy lying on a grey and white fleece on a red sofa with a black cat lying next to him

He runs, jumps, plays, sleeps (occasionally), torments the cat and sits and cries where we hang up his lead when it’s time for a walk. He’s just started puppy classes, and, hopefully, in about 6 weeks, he should a have his Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme puppy certificate. Once he has this, we will then work towards bronze and maybe silver and gold, but one step at a time.

He loves walks and going on adventures. He wants to say hello to every person and every dog that we pass. He LOVES water, so we try and choose walks that include a stream to paddle in. He has a penchant for plants, and is often seen with muddy paws and an empty plant pot in his mouth. He loves carrying clothes, and if we ignore him, he runs upstairs to see if there is anything that hasn’t been put away that he can bring down to us. This has included socks, T-shirts, my work fleece and a pair of jeans!

So what has this got to do with different not less?

He has a different anatomy to most dogs. His right front leg is twisted, and is smaller than his left leg. He had x-rays when he was with the rescue, and it’s something he was born with. His shoulder blade is normal, and then from his elbow it all goes a bit wonky. When he walks, he walks with a limp as his front limbs are different sizes but when he runs, he hops and looks just like any other dog. His right paw is noticeably smaller than his left.

Image description: two front paws of a labradoodle puppy. The left is the expected size for a 5 month old puppy but the right paw is significantly smaller

We know that at some point in the future, he may have to have the leg amputated – but he might not. We have spoken at length to the rescue and to our vets, and we are treating him like any other 5 month old puppy. We don’t walk him too far, but at home he has as much free exercise as he wants. He is walked off the lead in the field every morning and afternoon so he can choose if he wants to walk, run, chase Ned or just potter by my side (FYI it’s usually chase Ned).

Image description: a yellow labradoodle puppy chasing a black Labrador in a field. There are trees along the left side of the picture, they are running on grass and daisies. The sky has grey clouds.

At the moment, there isn’t anything that is dis-abled about him. He jumps over chairs, he climbs onto and off the table if there’s a chair close by. He digs holes, he chases the cat, he runs up and down stairs, he runs off with stolen treasures. His anatomy may be a little different, but he is not less, and he is no less able than any other puppy of the same age. We have never said ‘I don’t think he could manage that’ but we have listened to him. When he first arrived, climbing the hill in our garden was hard work, so we let him take the time he needed. His muscles got stronger, and within a week he was running up and down it.

He is different, not less. This is something we need to remember we when look at our square pegs, and maybe we need to remind others that they may be a little different to what we were expecting, but they are definitely not less, and not dis-abled.