(KATU/CNN) - An 8-year-old Arkansas boy with a rare skin disorder met a dog in Oregon with the same condition, something the child and his mom say they will never forget.
It's as if they've known each other their whole lives.
Carter Blanchard and the dog, Rowdy, are connected through spots. It's as if they've known each other their whole lives.
For the last year, Carter and Rowdy only knew each other via the internet, but Rowdy taught Carter to love his skin despite vitiligo.
The boy’s mom, Stephanie Adcock, said Carter gained the confidence she always wanted her son to have.
"Really it was life changing for him. It changed his childhood for the better. It was a gift I couldn't give him," said Adcock.
She says her confident boy is so happy he’s stopping just long enough to pet Rowdy and believes it had to be a dog to help Carter conquer his fears.
"It couldn't be any other person that made him feel better. It had to be Rowdy, it had to be a dog," said Adcock.
It was a long-awaited moment for Rowdy and his owner Niki Umbenhower too.
"I have goosebumps when I think about the moment they walked through the door, I'm actually tearing up. It's amazing," said Umbenhower.
The meeting was a moment that Adcock wasn't sure would ever happen, but thanks to KATU-TV viewers, it became a reality.
"I wasn't 100 percent sure we were going to get them together, and now we have those memories," said Adcock.
After an impromptu photoshoot, the boy and his new four-legged friend can keep their memories forever.
"This is far more than we ever deserved, and so we are just overwhelmed with the support,” said Adcock.
As for Carter, he says he loves Rowdy, but says the pooch just needs more spots.
"He needs some more on his back,” says Carter while laughing.
The two are connected through their spots and an unbreakable bond.
Courtesy KATU via CNN Newsource
