We recently had the chance to connect with Nikki Engleman and have shared our conversation below.
Nikki, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I typically start with getting myself ready, letting Faith out, then feeding her. Next up is our 3 kiddos. We have an 8, 7, and 15 month old! Our mornings are chaotic but we love them. Once everyone is out the door, I’m either heading into the office for the day or settling down to work from home as a Nursing Education Manager.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Nikki and our family runs a social media page called Deaf Dog of MN. I started the page almost 10 years ago because I wanted a dedicated page to post pictures of our dogs Zoe and PeeWee!
Fast forward to 2021 when I decided to start posting videos of Zoe and PeeWee on TikTok and one of our videos went viral. What made them so unique is PeeWee was deaf. He knew around 20 different signs and we’d use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with him.
Sadly, Zoe passed away in 2022 and PeeWee shortly after in 2024. We were asked to foster a deaf puppy, named Faith, after Zoe passed away, so we continued with posting content of PeeWee and Faith together.
Our goal is to show everyone that owning a deaf dog, or any animal with special needs, requires no special training and can be so fun! Faith continues the legacy that PeeWee started and we love showing people all that she is learning. She now knows about 10 different signs and is learning everyday!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Having accumulated many followers on each of social media platforms has really opened our eyes. Sometimes we get negative comments on the breed of dog we have or that we are training wrong, but ultimately our content has brought so much joy. We get comments from all over the world that Faith puts a smile on peoples faces and they’re learning to train their own dog from our videos. I also get a LOT of messages from people who have taken the leap and adopted a dog with special needs! I think having the power to reach so many people through social media is incredible.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
NA – none of these questions really apply.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
What people see on our social media page is 100% us. We are very real and show that our live isn’t all butterflies and unicorns. Faith isn’t a perfect dog.. she loves to countersurf, eat things she shouldn’t, and often times doesn’t listen or pay attention. We’re a normal family, living a normal life. The only thing I will never show on camera is our kids. If they are in a video, their faces will never be shown because our content is the dog, not our kids. The internet can never be trusted.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Ask anyone creating content and likely they’ll say they enjoy doing it, but the goal is to get views. Views are everything in marketing and social media. Regardless of views, every video is a daily snippet of our life. It’s not made up content, no scripting, just us living life with a deaf dog. Our goal is to show the simplicity of our life and that owning a deaf dog isn’t different than owning a hearing dog. We communicate in a different way, but she’s still a dog that loves to play, jump on our counters, and snuggle with our kids.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deafdogofmn?igsh=MTBkYzJ5NnVxdGdjcA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BQfS83Scx/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@deafdogofmn?si=kPLB–Y9ABT_0TkC
