Dogs really are man’s best friend. Just ask 2-year-old Bentley Boyers, who found his perfect match with his new puppy Lacey. Bently was born with a cleft lip, so when his father, Brandon Boyers, saw Lacey on September 3 in the Jackson County (Michigan) Animal Shelter and noticed she had that in common with his little boy, he was smitten.
Brandon originally went to the animal shelter to adopt some chickens.
But the second he saw Lacey, he called his wife, he told ABC News.
“I said, 'I want her for the sake of Bentley,'" Ashley Boyers explained. "They're the best of friends. If Bentley is playing on the playground she's next to the slide waiting for him to come down. They do everything together."
The Boyers always knew that Bentley would be born with a cleft palate.
They found out about Bentley’s condition during Ashley’s 20-week scan. In his short life, Bentley has already had two surgeries for his cleft palate — including one to help fully close his lip.
When Bentley was born, his cleft palate caused him to have problems eating.
He struggled to feed while he was in the neonatal intensie care unit, but after his surgery his mom said “he's completely fine.”
“We had to sit him up and feed him and hold his lip together in order for him to eat, so it was a process,” the mom explained to WYFF.
“He is the best kid ever. If you go outside to do chores, he gets upset if you don't ask for his help,” she told ABC News.
The Boyers brought Lacey home on September 4.
It was the best decision the family ever made: Bentley and Lacey are the best of buds.
"When Bentley came in to meet the puppy, we had tears in our eyes," Lydia Sattler, animal services director of Jackson County Animal Shelter, told ABC News. "He was loving her and she was just eating it up. They were a perfect match for many reasons."
Lacey came all the way from a shelter in Mississippi.
Sattler said they believe Lacey is about 10 weeks old and they think she’s a Lab mix. This isn’t the first furry friend the Boyers have at home; they already have a 9-month-old English Mastiff named Remi. In addition, Ashley is due with their second baby in December.
The Jackson County Animal Shelter shared photos of Bentley and Lacey on its Facebook page on September 3 — and they will absolutely melt your heart.
“Bentley found his match today in this tiny pup who also has a cleft lip,” the post stated.
“They instantly loved each other,” it read. “We wish many years of joy as this special pair grow up together!”
