He may be visually impaired, but when you have that smile and those tresses, stardom is but an inevitability.

Ray Charles was born blind to a breeder last December, but was later adopted into a loving home, according to his Facebook page. When BuzzFeed shared photos of him earlier this week, we knew that he was going to be the canine celebrity of 2013.

Consider this: His Facebook page already has 4,000 followers and counting, and he won first prize in a Modern Dog magazine photo contest in April. Here are some of our favorite shots of him:

He’s an American Kennel Club star puppy!

And he can walk himself like a pro.

Just the sight of him is like a warm, fuzzy hug.

And here he is with some stylin’ shades. His Facebook page says he can run and play and “do everything else that other dogs who can see do.”

See more photos of Ray on his Facebook page.

H/T: BuzzFeed

This story originally ran on Huffington Post Good News — check out these other feel-good stories:

• Jason Silva’s New Web Series ‘Shots Of Awe’ Will Make You See The World Anew (VIDEO)
• Kartik Sawhney, Blind Indian Teen, Beats Discriminatory Education System (VIDEO)
• Barbara Garcia, Who Found Dog In Oklahoma Tornado Rubble, Receives Outpouring Of Donations