KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An 8-year-old girl and her dog share a unique bond that she hopes inspires others.

Brooklyn was born with bilateral cleft hands, a condition where both hands have a gap in the middle. She’s undergone three surgeries at Shriners Children’s in St. Louis and continues to get treatment.

Despite her condition, Brooklyn has always seen herself as a regular kid. She loves to play basketball, draw, and play with dolls. So, when her mother came across a Facebook post about an abandoned puppy with a limb difference, she knew they had to get him.

“My dog and I have the same hands,” Brooklyn said.

“It was exciting when I first saw him. He’s so special, and he plays with me and snuggles with me at night.”

Brooklyn’s mother, Tina, first saw Bronx, an American Staffordshire Terrier, online and immediately knew he could make a difference for her daughter. She made a 24-hour round trip from Kansas City to Houston to bring him home.

“Kids at school didn’t always understand Brooklyn’s hands, and it made her feel isolated,” Tina said.

“But when Bronx came into our lives, everything changed. She was so excited to see her dog have the same difference as her, and I think it really made her feel understood and built resilience in her. It made her realize that everyone has differences and it’s okay.”

Since then, Bronx and Brooklyn have been inseparable, playing basketball, hide and seek, and even snuggling at bedtime. Bronx has also adapted to his limb difference in his own way, developing a unique gait and playful energy that mirrors Brooklyn’s determination.

Brooklyn started going to Shriners Children’s when she was just a couple of months old. She had her first surgery there when she was a year old to unweb her index finger and thumb.

She received another bilateral surgery at six, which repositioned her thumb on her right hand so she could grab and hold items, at the same time, on her left hand, pushing back the excess webbing for more dexterity. 

Brooklyn aspires to be a teacher one day, which is fitting, since Bronx is already teaching her that being different is kind of cool.