10/06/2026
Watching the puppies play this morning, a thought occurred to me: Why is my eye always drawn to black tri vs. merle? Why are they my favorite “color” in the breed?
Literally, the hill I will die on; you just can’t beat the looks of a classic black tri. 🖤
So I did a little digging. Questioning. A chat with Chat. And I stumbled onto something I’d never really considered before:
Low visual noise.
And as a neurodivergent person, that made SO much sense to me.
Neurodivergence isn't one thing, and this certainly won't apply to everyone. Different neurodivergent brains can process sensory information very differently. Some seek more visual stimulation. Some are more sensitive to it. Some of us can somehow manage to be both. 😂
But look at a classic black tri.
Large areas of one solid color. Clear tan points. Defined white markings. Strong contrast, but organized contrast. There’s a predictability to the pattern.
Now look at a merle.
Merle is gorgeous—but there is a LOT going on visually. Different shades, mottling, spots, irregular edges, patches and asymmetry. Your eyes have more information to take in.
I realized that may be exactly what my brain likes about black tris.
They have contrast without visual clutter.
Black tri: Yep. Got it. Nice and peaceful. 🖤
Merle: Oh, a spot. And another spot. Different shade. Wait…what's happening over there? 😂
To be clear, there isn't research saying neurodivergent people prefer black-tri dogs. This is me connecting something I've noticed about myself with what we do know about differences in sensory processing.
But low visual noise?
THAT clicked.
Maybe that's part of why, in a breed absolutely full of gorgeous merles, my brain has always said:
“Yeah, yeah. Very pretty. Now show me the black one.” 🖤
Now I'm curious about my fellow neurodivergent dog people. Does your brain gravitate toward the solids and simpler patterns? Or are you the exact opposite, give you ALL the merle, spots and color?
