Meet Winter. She’s a blind Pit Bull. Unlike a lot of our other Monday Miracles, Winter wasn’t abused or mistreated or neglected. She didn’t even come from a puppy mill.

Winter is blind because she was born with microphthalmia, which means that she had micro eyeballs — in fact, according to her Facebook page, her eyeballs were one-fourth the size they should have been. The condition causes severe, painful complications with the eyelids, and there are limited options for treatment. One option is to operate and alter the eyelids and lashes — an extremely precise, delicate operation. The other option is to remove the eyes completely.

Realizing that Winter’s condition was beyond what they could handle, her human family researched what they could do. Some might say that deciding to surrender a dog is an act of weakness, but I’d say that in Winter’s case, it was done out of love. If you go into debt caring for a dog friend, love can’t pay the bills or buy dog food. Winter’s family was already taking care of other dogs and just didn’t have the resources to give Winter what she needed. Her eyes, which were constantly infected, had started to necrotize. It was time to act.

So they handed Winter over to Panda Paws Rescue, who were able to gather the funds and resources for Winter’s surgery. She recovered well from her surgery and, today, according to her Facebook page, she is a very sweet dog who loves meeting new people, especially kids. Winter is an ambassador for her breed and for special-needs pets. Sometimes it takes more courage to realize a situation is too much for you and to seek help than to try to forge it on your own.

All photos via Winter’s Facebook page — please go check her out!

Check out more cuteness on Dogster:

• Monday Miracle: Bunny The Dog Defies Cuteness Conventions
• Cute Video Alert: A Dog and a Disabled Cat Are Great Play Pals
• Vid We Love: Charcoal the Lab Loves His Bucket More Than ANYTHING

About Liz Acosta: Dogster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Dogster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!