Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Woman Adopts 6 Dogs With Special Needs And Now They’re All Living Their Best Lives
Woman Adopts 6 Dogs With Special Needs And Now They’re All Living Their Best Lives
33.3K

Woman Adopts 6 Dogs With Special Needs And Now They’re All Living Their Best Lives

330

ADVERTISEMENT

Finding forever homes for pets with special needs is hard. After all, they require more attention and care. Tracey Fowler from Mendon, Vermont, however, is up for the challenge. Since she lost Hayden, her beloved German Shepherd, a few years ago, Tracey has been adopting pups others walk past in animal shelters, and now her gang consists of eight pet dogs. She calls them The Fowler Herd, and with Tracey’s help, these adorable dogs are living life to the fullest.

More info: Facebook

RELATED:

    “Hayden crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a battle against a dog illness called degenerative myelopathy,” she told Bored Panda. The dog fought the brutal disease long and hard and eventually ended up needing a wheelchair. But the paralysis didn’t take away his spirit. Tracey said the cute dog kept playing until his last day.

    Missing the rolling of Hayden’s wheels, she decided to honor his resilience and make a difference for other dogs like him. “I currently have eight pet dogs,” Tracey said. “Six being special needs and 2 being [German Shepherds I had before adopting the others.]” As you can imagine, Tracey warns her visitors not to get their feet rolled over.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Not only do The Fowler Herd constantly enjoy Tracey’s sincere love and affection, but they also have a blast with each other. Especially during the winter. When snow covers the areas surrounding her residence, Tracey swaps her pups’ wheelchairs for skis so they can continue their games outside.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The kind-hearted woman agreed that this kind of dog adoption isn’t for everyone, but she also said taking care of them isn’t that difficult. “If you are afraid of poop and pee, maybe adopting a special needs pet is not for you. If you’re OK with it, honestly, it’s no different than if they were walking.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    As for The Fowler Herd, they plan to just keep rolling and skiing. “If we are able to show one owner there is another option besides saying goodbye [to their sick pet], then that’s what our goal is.”

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: The Fowler Herd

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Watch The Fowler Herd enjoy themselves in the woods

    People are applauding Tracey for making a difference

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Share on Facebook

    Explore more of these tags

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »
    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Mantas Kačerauskas

    Mantas Kačerauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

    Read less »

    Mantas Kačerauskas

    Mantas Kačerauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

    What do you think ?
    Nea
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You are the best kind of human. Thank you :)

    Warren Langley
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow, that is so sweet. I'm glad people like this still exist!

    Load More Comments
    Nea
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You are the best kind of human. Thank you :)

    Warren Langley
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wow, that is so sweet. I'm glad people like this still exist!

    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT