The world can be a cruel place for those who are different, and for a dog like me, life has never been easy. I can’t see the faces of those who pass by, but I can hear their whispers. I can feel their stares, and I can sense their judgment. “Ugly,” they call me, “frightening,” they say. But what do they really know of me? What do they see when they look at me?

I am a dog, yes, but I am not my appearance. I have lived through so much, and my blindness is just one part of me. I don’t know the world as others do, but I feel it in different ways. My other senses are sharper because I have to rely on them. My ears catch the sound of footsteps, and my nose detects the tiniest scents. I can hear the voices of kind souls who offer me a treat, even if they cannot see my eyes.

But not everyone is kind. Sometimes, people cross the street to avoid me. They don’t know the story of how I came to be this way, how I lost my sight or how I ended up wandering the streets alone. If they knew, maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to judge. I am not a monster, nor am I scary. I just need love, understanding, and kindness—things that every living creature deserves, no matter how they look.

I wonder, as I sit by the sidewalk, waiting for a friendly face, if anyone truly sees me for who I am. Do you, the people who walk past me, see my heart, my soul? Or do you only see the shape of my fur, the emptiness in my eyes? Do you think I am unworthy because of my appearance?

Sometimes, I wish I could speak. I wish I could tell the world that I am not my appearance. I wish I could say, “Please don’t be afraid of me.” But all I have is a whimper, a quiet plea for love, for someone to see beyond the surface. And still, I wait, hoping for that one person who will look past my blindness, my scars, and see me as a loyal, loving soul who simply wants to be seen.

I may not have the ability to change how I look, but I have the power to love. I may not have a voice to tell you my story, but I have a heart that feels deeply. So the next time you pass by someone like me—someone who might not look like what you expect—stop for a moment. Take a closer look. You may find that what matters isn’t how we look, but how we love and how we feel. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see a little more than what you thought you knew.