Just how two people are meant to be for each other, even a person and a dog are meant to find each other.

At an animal shelter in Jackson, Michigan, a rescued puppy with a cleft lip had been in there for almost a week and the staff was worried that the dog wouldn’t be adopted.

Then, Brandon Boyers walked into the shelter who has a 2-year-old son with a cleft lip, Bentley, and they saw the puppy and adopted him. Bentley’s dad was hoping to adopt rescued chickens to expand his family’s small farm, so he wasn’t planning on adopting a puppy when he visited Jackson County Animal Shelter last week.

Jackson County Animal Shelter – Michigan

Ashley Boyers, Bentley’s mom, feels that having the puppy will make her son know that he’s not alone and that having a cleft lip doe snot make him different.

“It was pretty shocking actually,” said Boyers. “I had never seen a dog with a cleft lip before.” He called his wife on FaceTime to show her the puppy. “I immediately told him to adopt her,” said Ashley Boyers, 23. “I said to bring her home today.” She said, “To see him have something in common with a puppy means a lot ’cause he can grow up and understand that he and his puppy both have something that they can share in common.”

In the photos, the joy on the little boy’s face is clear as he cuddles his puppy close. “They instantly loved each other,” the shelter wrote online. “We wish many years of joy as this special pair grow up together!”

People have expressed their joy at seeing the little boy find the most perfect puppy possible: “I wish Bentley and his new friend all the best for their life together and a lot of fun,” one person wrote, while another added, “Truly a special bond indeed.”

Jackson County Animal Shelter – Michigan