Irresponsible breeding is a huge problem in the dog world and it can have detrimental effects on puppies' health.
Two adorable pups know this only too well - Little Buddy and Aster Rose were both born deaf and blind.
When merle breeds are bred together, the litter is left with a 25% chance of being disabled, and the pair both fell into this category.
Despite looking like twins, neither pups are related and didn't actually meet until two months ago.
Fate brought them together, with a little help from adopter, Krysten Harper, 30, from Alabama, US, and now the pair are inseparable.
Krysten told The Mirror : "I wouldn't change a single thing about them."
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Three years ago, Krysten visited miniature Australian shepherd, Little Buddy, at a rescue centre, and fell in love with him.
He had been stuck in the kennels for two years and had even developed arthritis in his back legs, after sitting in the same spot for so long.
Krysten took him home and learnt to navigate life for the first time with a disabled dog.
"He would wake up crying in the middle of the night and only slept in corners or under chairs. He was a little ball of anxiety," she said.
"He was terrified of shadows and refused to go outside after the sun went down.
"But he was the sweetest boy I'd ever met. We are soul mates."
Having a deaf dog didn't stop Krysten from wanting to adopt a second, and two months ago, she brought three-month-old Australian shepherd, Aster Rose, home.
"Aster is a very confident little girl who loves meeting new people and dogs. She assumes that everybody, whether human or animal, is simply a new friend to be made," Krysten said.
"She may not be able to see, but that doesn’t mean she can’t find the sunniest part of the yard and stick her snoot in the air to feel the warmth."
The duo live life to the absolute fullest, but navigating a world without eyes or ears does have its hurdles.
Krysten recently taught Aster how to get upstairs and says, "it's something that seems so simple, but for a tiny blind and deaf puppy, stairs present a huge obstacle".
She added: "The biggest difference is how I communicate with them. We rely on touch signals, so one tap on their lower back means 'sit', and a hand on the chest means 'stay'."
Krysten shares photos of the pair on their Instagram page, and is passionate about raising awareness of irresponsible breeding and disabled dogs.
"Several people comment that Aster looks sick and sad, but she is the complete and total opposite of a sad puppy," she said.
"Aster is so happy, full of life and anybody who meets her instantly falls in love with her.
"Blind and deaf dogs can live amazing lives and feeling bad for them only further perpetuates the myth that they are 'less than'."
When Krysten first adopted Little Buddy, his rescuer made her promise not to treat him differently.
Krysten explained: "She said to me, 'This is his normal. He's as happy as any dog here because this is all he's ever known. Feeling bad for him doesn’t help anybody and you two have the chance to be advocates for other blind and deaf dogs who still need homes.'
"That's what we try to do every single day and that's the purpose of our page."
You can keep up-to-date with Little Buddy and Aster on their Instagram @littlebuddythedm.
Do you have a dog story to tell? Contact nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
