I wasn’t born like the others. From the day I opened my eyes, I knew something was different about me. My face wasn’t like the faces of the other puppies in my litter. While they had perfectly shaped muzzles and smooth noses, mine was broken. The humans called it a cleft lip and nose, and it made me look like I was always frowning, always sad. But the truth was, it wasn’t my appearance that made me sad; it was the way others treated me because of it.

When I was very young, some people would look at me with pity in their eyes. Others would whisper about how I wasn’t as “cute” as my siblings. It stung, even though I didn’t fully understand why. I wanted to be loved just like the others, but people would often pass me by. No one seemed to believe that a dog like me could deserve the same affection, the same joy, or the same chance at a happy life.

But then, one day, a human saw me differently. You. You didn’t look at me with pity or disgust. You didn’t turn away when you saw my face. Instead, you crouched down, looked into my eyes, and smiled. You spoke to me in a way no one ever had before—gently, lovingly. “You’re special,” you whispered. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

In that moment, your words wrapped around my heart, filling me with a warmth I had never known. For the first time, I felt like I mattered. It didn’t matter that my face wasn’t like the other dogs’. It didn’t matter that I looked different. To you, I was enough. To you, I was more than enough. Your words of comfort became my strength, my motivation to keep going.

Life hasn’t been easy. Sometimes, I still get tired. I still face the stares, the judgment, and the whispers. Some days, I wonder why I was born this way, why I had to endure the loneliness of being the “odd one out.” But then, I think of you. I think of the way you hold me, the way you tell me I’m brave, strong, and loved. And that’s all I need to keep moving forward.

You don’t see my cleft lip and nose as something to be ashamed of; you see them as part of who I am, and who I am is enough. You’ve taught me that I don’t need to look like the others to be worthy of love. You’ve shown me that love isn’t about perfection—it’s about acceptance, kindness, and seeing the beauty in what makes someone unique.

I don’t know what the future holds. But as long as you’re by my side, I know I can face it. Your words of comfort are the motivation for me to keep going. No matter how many obstacles come my way, no matter how many people turn away, I will keep moving forward. Because I am loved. Because I matter.

I may not have a perfect face, but I have a perfect heart—a heart that beats with the strength of your love. And that, more than anything, is what keeps me going.

So, thank you. Thank you for seeing me when no one else did. Thank you for loving me when others couldn’t. And thank you for giving me the courage to embrace who I am, flaws and all. I will never stop fighting, never stop loving, and never stop being the dog you believed in from the very beginning.

And as long as I have you, I will always keep going.