Of Mendon, Vermont, Tracey Fowler has spent her entire life doing what she loves most: assisting dogs who do not have ideal living conditions.
Hayden, her dog, was hers. She was a German Shepherd who decided to devote her life to assisting other dogs after losing her own. He now has an eight-strong dog pack.
The Fowler Herd is a collection of dogs with special needs and those who have tried in vain to be adopted but have remained because they believe this could be their forever home.
When Hayden’s sad fight against the disease that affects dogs was over, she told her that he had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. It’s referred to as degenerative myelopathy.
He also had special needs and, at times, was paralyzed due to this severe illness.
Despite this, this courageous dog did not give up. He kept playing until the very last second.
Tracey wanted to make a difference for all the other dogs similar to Hayden after he died, all to emphasize his tenacity.
She’s adopted six special-needs dogs so far, and she’s had two German Shepherds since before these unfortunate boys arrived.
The Fowler Herd is incredibly close-knit, and they constantly love and socialize with one another. Most importantly, Tracey provides them with the necessary love and care.
She puts skis on their strollers instead of the regular wheels they use on snowy winter days so they can enjoy themselves outside regardless of the weather.
As Tracey points out, adopting a dog who has difficulty walking may not be the best idea if you want to avoid poop and urine. On the contrary, if you’ve always looked after it, it’s the same as being perfectly healthy.
She claims they will be satisfied even if only one person realizes that euthanizing their sick dog is not the only option and that something much better can be done instead.
