Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Engleman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our story began about 11 years ago when we fostered a deaf puppy, PeeWee. We instantly fell in love with him and “foster failed” (adopted him). He got along really well with our other dog Zoe, who was 4 at the time. PeeWee was found as a stray in Indianapolis and pulled to a rescue here in MN. He lived in 2 other amazing foster homes prior to us, but the transition stemmed some separation anxiety for him. He struggled a lot when left alone, but we quickly found that if left with Zoe, he always seemed to do better! They were two peas in a pod. My husband and I worked hard with PeeWee to overcome his separation anxiety and train him to learn commands. Since PeeWee was deaf, we learned a few basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs from a “Sign With Your Baby” book to communicate with him. We found that he was SO eager to learn and learned really quickly. He also learned through watching Zoe interact with us. For example, we’d say “let’s go potty!” as well as sign “potty” and he would follow Zoe to the door. He has learned about 15-20 different ASL signs, which has helped us significantly with communicating with him!
We turned to TikTok to showcase some of the things Zoe and PeeWee do together, Zoe waking him up, PeeWee learning new signs, etc., and quickly gained a following. We try and showcase that even though PeeWee is deaf, dogs with special needs aren’t that much different than dogs without! I’ve received so many messages from followers that they’re taking the leap and fostering a deaf puppy or that they’ve recently adopted and turned to my videos for help in teaching their dog ASL. It’s been great spreading awareness and helping others.
Fast forward quite a few years, when Zoe turned 13, we noticed she was having more accidents in the house, did weird things like bark at night and pace around the house, and didn’t seem to be acting like herself. I took her to the vet thinking maybe she had an infection, but she was diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), aka Canine Dementia. We were told many dogs don’t live long after the initial diagnosis, so I immediately joined support groups for other pet owners who have dogs with CCD and began doing research on how to support her. It was a huge struggle, but I learned her schedule of barking and pacing, took her out more frequently, and essentially anticipated every one of her needs before things spiraled out of control. We managed her CCD for about 2 years and she seemed the be doing well, given the circumstances. In March of 2022, Zoe woke and was suddenly ill, unable to walk, and was believed to have had a stroke or a previous brain tumor that was paralyzing her. We knew we had a decision to make and she crossed over the rainbow bridge surrounded by those who loved her most.
PeeWee struggled immensely after the passing of Zoe. He searched the house for her for weeks, slept a lot, and wasn’t his normal self. We ultimately decided to start fostering again and brought a deaf puppy into our home in May of 2022. He has begun to thrive again and is now the “big brother” (so to speak) and helping her learn ASL, just like he does! Our foster puppy has brought a little bit of spark back into his life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Initially, our biggest struggle was learning how to communicate with a deaf dog, who also had severe anxiety. Once we learned a few ASL signs ourselves, we found he loved learning and the communication was easier than we thought! The hardest part of our journey has been learning to live life without Zoe. PeeWee’s life was all about Zoe.
They slept together, played together, learned together, and did everything together. When she passed, it was hard knowing what to do for a grieving pet. We turned to TikTok after Zoe’s passing, since we had a large following from a previous video of Zoe waking up PeeWee, and started talking about things nobody prepares you for when losing a pet. Such as pet grief, children’s grief, and the deafening silence in the house. There’s truly no way to prepare, but if we can help others through this hard transition, we’d love to try!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been in the healthcare field since I was 16. I’m currently a nursing education and operations manager for a large healthcare company in MN. I LOVE my job.
I love helping people, both humans and animals. I have a great balance of both my work and personal life. Our company is huge on work/life balance and most know about our dogs and the social media life they have! It’s been fun sharing with the world and those I work with on a day-to-day basis as well. They’re so supportive.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Everyone has a different perspective on luck. I am a very open person and putting our pet’s life on TikTok was a step I was willing to take to help others learn what we have learned over the course of 15 years. I’d say it’s 20% luck and 80% being willing to take the leap and put yourself out there.
I enjoy challenges and staying busy, in both my work life and personal life. Having the motivation and willingness to take on challenges will get you to where you want to be in life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/deafdogofmn?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zoeandpeewee?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deafdogofmn1
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@deafdogofmn?_t=8aJFjSVCdul&_r=1
