Bentley and his parents went to a shelter in Jackson, Michigan to adopt a dog. As soon as Bentley saw one unusual puppy, he knew he had to have him.

Today, Bentley is a happy and healthy two-year-old.

Like any other toddler, he has lots of energy and loves to run around. But when he was just a little baby, he had to undergo an operation.

In the womb, the doctors could tell that Bentley had developed a facial abnormality. He had a cleft lip and palate.

Cleft lips and palates occur when a baby’s body is first forming and the lip/mouth roof tissue fails to join up.

Luckily for Bentley, cleft palates and lips are relatively common occurrences and treatable.

When he was still a newborn, Bentley was able to undergo a procedure. The doctors attached the skin and left nothing but a tiny scar.

When Bentley turned two, his parents announced that it was time for their family to get a little bigger. They were adopting a dog.

So Bentley and his parents arrived at the shelter to pick out a new pet.

They looked at all of the dogs, but then Bentley spotted one that he knew he had to have.

The dog was still a puppy. And like Bentley, he had had to undergo a procedure. The dog had been born with a cleft lip.

Like Bentley, the dog had a noticeable scar. But he still looked super cute. The parents could tell that Bentley was incredibly keen to adopt a dog that looked like him.

Pretty soon, the family had signed the papers, and the puppy was on his way home, being held by Bentley in the back of their car.

The shelter then posted about the adoption on their Facebook page.

Pretty soon, the post had gone viral. To date, it has gained over 45,000 shares. It also has more than 37,000 reactions and 6,000 comments. People have been saying things like this:

Clearly, that puppy is very fortunate. It can be hard for dogs who look atypical to find forever homes. Many people think that they don’t look cute. But to Bentley and his parents, the puppy is the cutest dog in the world.

Many different kinds of dogs can get cleft lips and palates.

Purebred dogs are especially susceptible to the condition, particularly ones with short faces, like beagles, bulldogs and dachshunds.

And it isn’t always immediately apparent when a dog has a cleft palate.

Sometimes, the cleft palate occurs quite far back in the dog’s mouth. Signs of a less noticeable cleft palate in a dog include sneezing, passing liquids through the nose, coughing and sinus infections.

Puppies with cleft lips and palates can’t be operated on right away. Instead, they need to grow a little so that vets have less trouble with the procedure. Until they are large enough to be operated upon, puppies with cleft lips and palates should be fed with a tube to ensure they get the nutrition they need.

Dogs with cleft lips and palates are just as good as any other dog. After surgery, their lips may look a little atypical. But that just makes them interesting!

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Source: Cars 108, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pet Health Network