Carter Blanchard and a dog named Rowdy may live halfway across the country, but these two have something in common: they both have Vitiligo.
Vitiligo is a skin disorder that destroys the cells responsible for making the skin's pigment.
Carter was first diagnosed with this condition in kindergarten when white patches appeared around his eyes. Since then the 8-year-old has struggled with being confident.
Rowdy the dog was diagnosed with Vitiligo the same year as Carter and the Black Labrador Retriever also has a loss of pigment around his eyes.
Although Rowdy lives in Oregon, Carter's mom saw photos of him on Facebook and shared the pictures with Carter, who lives in Arkansas.
When Carter saw the photos, he was so excited seeing a dog who was famous for his vitiligo.
Carter's mom reached out to Rowdy's owners and that's when the long distance friendship began.
Soon after, Carter and Rowdy were able to meet in person and it was love at first sight!