When we go to shelters, there are a few dogs that don’t get chosen right away.

Some people might not consider adopting senior dogs because they wouldn’t want to get attached to a pet that might pass away sooner than expected.

Then, there are the handicapped ones – the dogs with special needs. It is challenging to raise them, and people aren’t sure if they are ready for the challenge.

But for Tracey Fowler, that challenge became her legacy. It is also her promise.

She once had a German shepherd named Hayden. He was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy, a disease that affects the spinal cord and would soon degenerate motor skills.

Hayden became paralyzed, and the doctor said it would be challenging to keep him.

However, Tracey never wanted to give up on Hayden. He was her life.

So, she called Handicapped Pets, crying and lost on what to do.

They told her to calm down because it was going to be okay. They asked for Hayden’s measurements so they could create a custom cart for him.

The next day, Tracey received Hayden’s cart, and she had never seen him so happy.

He kept running around like the cart had been a part of him all his life.

She promised to assist him in any way to make his life less miserable with the cart.

“He was my child. He fought, struggled, and he got in the cart, and he taught me so much. He made me a better person, so much of a stronger person, a level-headed person realizing that if you never try, you never know (what will happen),” Tracey told NBC 5.

Unfortunately, Hayden didn’t make it, and Tracey felt an emptiness in her.

She realized how much she missed Hayden and assisting him in his cart. They’d been through so much together, and it was gone in a snap.

She tried to fill that void and looked for a dog in Heath’s Haven.

That’s when she found Joey, which she renamed Heath in honor of the place where he was rescued.

That’s when Tracey realized her purpose – caring for handicapped dogs.

Her new-found purpose was her promise and her way of honoring Hayden.

She took in more handicapped dogs from shelters and bought them carts.

Just like what she did with Hayden, she assisted these dogs in adapting to their carts and getting used to them.

Tracey treated them like her children, and the handicapped-pets community supported her.

She said there wasn’t much difference between caring for these dogs and those without any disability.

The feeling was the same – she wanted to save, protect, and give the dogs a better life, just like anyone who would walk into the shelter and adopt a dog.

Tracey also added that what she’s doing is helping other dogs in a way.

Taking in a handicapped dog from a shelter would make room for other rescues to fill – rescues that she hoped would also get a better chance at life.

This is Tracey Fowler’s heroics.

She was named Red Cross Everyday Hero and won the Walkin’ Pets Hero Award.

I guess we would all agree that she deserved these recognitions and all the future ones she might get.

Watch the video below to see more on this heartwarming story!

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Source: Walkin’ Pets YouTube Channel, NBC 5, The Fowler Heard Facebook Page