Discovering The Perfect Match

"It was pretty shocking, actually. I had never seen a dog with a cleft lip before."

"The dog [puppy] has been fantastic. She even stands up to our big [family] dog."

"He [his infant son] won't feel like he's alone on this journey [through early life together]."

Brandon Boyers, farmer, Jackson, Michigan

Bentley Boyers, 2, Puppy Lacey

"I immediately told him to adopt her. I said to bring her home today."

"They [the puppy and her two-year-old son] were head over heels for each other right away. Everyone started crying."

"I found out he [her son] was going to have a cleft lip during my gender ultrasound. He had his first surgery when he was five months old. He is the strongest little boy I know."

"He knows that the dog has the same condition as he does. He understands. It so remarkable to see him share something in common with the puppy."

"Bentley spends all day playing with her. They play outside with balls and find sticks and rocks. And all three of them take a daily nap on the dog bed together."

Ashley Boyers, 23, mother of two-year-old Bentley

"I explained that they could take the puppy home two days later, after she had her final vet appointment."

"We [staff at the animal shelter] were all in tears seeing the two of them together. The fact that this is something we never see, the puppy came from a thousand miles away and that Bentley's dad just happened to be here at that moment, it was just amazing."

"The puppy immediately started soaking up all his love. It was genuine joy. She was one of the last ones of the 25 to be adopted."

Lydia Sattler, director, Jackson County Animal Shelter

Bentley Boyers, 2, is seen kissing his newly adopted rescue puppy, Lacey, on Sept. 4, 2020 at Jackson County Animal Shelter in Jackson County, Michigan. Both Bentley and Lacey were born with a cleft lip.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that approximately one in 2,800 babies in the United States is born with a cleft lip. A little boy, now two years of age, was born to two young parents in their 20s, living in Jackson, Michigan with a cleft lip. A child that has already at his tender age, experienced surgical operations to correct his condition, with more yet to come. Even at his young age, the little boy appears to know that there is something 'different' about him. It is a difference he now shares with a female, rescue puppy that has joined his household.

It isn't known how prevalent cleft lips are among dogs, but evidently purebreds experience a higher incidence rate than do mixed-breed dogs. The mixed pedigree of this puppy that little Bentley now knows as Lacey, his very own dog companion, can only be guessed at. The shelter that received the puppy feels her ancestry is manifold, reflecting many dog breeds. All of which should, in fact, result in genetic vigour. She will likely grow to canine adulthood as a sturdily healthy dog, even as the little boy grows into his own maturity.

The Jackson County Animal Shelter had a recent visitor, a man who entered in the hope that rescued chickens could be had, to help the expansion of his family's small farm. In the event, 27-year-old Brandon Boyers discovered that the chickens had already been adopted. But the chickens and his mission to acquire them escaped his mind when he looked incredulously at a puppy up for adoption, with a recognizable condition; a split lip, just like his son Bentley.

The presence of the little black-and-white puppy spurred him to call his wife. Who responded by asking her husband to adopt the puppy on the spot, and bring her home with him. Both parents were immediately struck with the thought that the puppy would make a perfect companion for their child. Because the director of the shelter advised that another vet appointment had first to take place, and then they could bring the puppy home with them they were anxious for their son to see the new friend that would soon be joining him at home.

Bentley Boyers, 2, holding his newly adopted rescue puppy, Lacey

The following day Ashley Boyers brought her son Bentley for a visit to the shelter. Bentley made directly for the puppy, cradling the little creature in his arms, then settled down next to her, a natural and loving reaction between the two was sparked, and the witnessing staff became emotional. They had never before sheltered a dog with a cleft lip. The puppy had come to their facility from Mississippi which had been overwhelmed with too many dogs in need. There were 25 dogs in all, and all went to new homes in short order, leaving Lacey unclaimed.

Bentley has already undergone two surgeries. Several additional procedures are planned for the future, among them a bone-grafting operation. The abnormality with which he was born will be corrected by surgery, and as far as the future condition of Lacey, there is confidence that the puppy will go on to enjoy a healthy, normal lifespan. The coincidence of the split lip in both the little boy and the puppy and the chance encounter by the father to discover the presence of the puppy was heart-warming to all concerned.

As expected, Lacey is adjusting with ease to her new home. A home which comes complete with another, older canine, a nine-month-old English mastiff, named Remi.

Bentley Boyers, 2, is seen with his puppy Lacey and English Mastiff, Remi.

"It's so hard to put into words how meaningful this adoption is to all of us. Bentley found his match today in this tiny pup who also has a cleft lip. They instantly loved each other", read a Facebook post written by the shelter.