A young boy in Arkansas and his new best friend in Oregon recently got to meet in person for the first time after building a very special friendship online.
What makes this friendship so unique is that Carter Blanchard of Arkansas is an 8-year-old boy and Rowdy of Oregon is a 14-year-old dog. What makes their friendship even more unique is that it was sparked by a rare skin condition that they have in common.
Both Carter and Rowdy have vitiligo, a condition that is recognizable by lighter patches of skin. At 8 years old, Carter had recently become more self-conscious about it, but what helped him become more comfortable was finding an Instagram page devoted to Rowdy, a black dog with white circles around his eyes.
Through the Instagram page, Carter and Rowdy became close friends. And thanks to a generous donation, Carter and his mom were flown to Oregon to meet Rowdy in person.
The friends were inseparable and Carter's mom, Stephanie Adcock, called the meeting "life-changing." She said, "It changed his childhood for the better. It was a gift I couldn’t give him." (Fox News)