Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽
@servicerotties • 108,713 subscribers
I'm Chesnyy, a Gov't qualified service dog in Canada. My job is taking care of my person, a bilateral amputee. I'm the successor to Kuno, disability spokesdog.
Shorts
Videos
Today my power wheelchair hit 15,000 km. Almost every one of those kilometres had a Rottweiler beside it. Losing my legs meant relearning everything. And it was and still is, hard. Opening a door and getting through it. Getting out of bed at 3 a.m. to pee. Even getting into bed. I am eternally grateful a Rottweiler was there for all of it. Kuno, a huge dog with a massive heart, taught me how to live this life. Without him I am fairly certain I would have stayed in bed, stared at the TV, and hated the world. Instead he got me outside, and we learned how to navigate a community built when people like me were expected to live in institutions. Those kilometres were full of firsts. First grocery shop with no help. First time stuck in a couple inches of snow. First time I could not get into a business because they chose an inaccessible location. First time I trained a puppy from a wheelchair. I was painfully self-conscious those first years. The pity smiles. The awkward questions. The stranger in the grocery store who asked to lay hands on me and pray. I coped by getting better at dog training. Kuno and I put a ridiculous number of miles on together. We took classes and found mentors. I learned to drive with hand controls, then bought a used accessible van so we could travel. This wheelchair has rolled all over the prairies when we've completed in Rally Obedience trials. We played in parks in the sun. Trained in the underground parking when it snowed. We gave presentations on service dogs, accessibility, and disability at community groups, schools, and post-secondary institutions. We challenged the city on multiple issues and became the unofficial accessibility watchdog team. At Christmas we raised funds for charities. More importantly, except for a couple of brutal weather days when I had to call emergency dog-walking help, we were out in the community being active. A lot of those kilometres were spent training very specific work: backing in a perfect heel, spins, pivoting beside the chair, even pivots with the dog in front facing me. We got so good it almost became a dance. He walked beside me the first time I rolled down the sidewalk in this chair. I rolled beside him on the last steps he took before he passed away. A few years ago Chesnyy joined the household and the kilometres started adding up faster. We started working with a government-qualified service dog organization and now we teach some of their classes. Last year Chesnyy and I moved into an accessible house with my best friend, and another Rottweiler puppy arrived. There are still a lot of walks left. Winter is still highly inaccessible. After 15,000 km the challenges have shifted. Many barriers are still there and we will keep tackling them. I am more confident now. It took a lot of work, but I have proven myself in the dog training community. I still miss things I can no longer do, but I have accepted this disability and I am trying to live my best life. The bigger fight now is pain. Chronic pain is not new. It was an issue before amputation. Phantom pain no longer surprises me. My shoulders hurts tremendously from transferring and lifting from a seated position. My back aches from sitting. And yes, my butt hurts. Pain makes motivation really hard. The dogs help with that. On the days when I just want to give up, wet noses nudge me on. 15,000 km is a lot for a power chair. I got this one in the fall of 2020. Techs are always shocked at the mileage. They typically see about 5,000 km over the life of a chair. This one will probably need replacing in the next year or so. Thankfully there is some government funding but they only fund base models. Good chairs that are easier on the body and actually work well cost a lot more. A full-time power wheelchair in Canada often starts around $15,000. Add tilt to help prevent pressure sores and you can easily add another $10,000. When you live in the chair it has to be customized. One of the hardest parts of disability is the cost. I am fortunate to have a consistent disability income that covers monthly bills but I don't have extended medical insurance to get upgraded equipment. Prescriptions, physical therapy, and a lot of disability related equipment is all out of pocket. I am not asking for money. I just want people to understand that power mobility is ridiculously expensive, and that a couple of giant-hearted Rottweilers made 15,000 km possible. Today I took the chair off the pavement and did a little 4x4ing so the dogs could run off-leash on a beautiful summer day. Watching them play, I thought about every hard kilometre that got us here. That still makes my heart smile. ❤️🐾❤️ Admin
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽16,281 Aufrufe • vor 4 Tagen
My baby brother, Kenji the Mooseweiler, really adores his moose leg toy. He took it outside then used it to knock on the door to ask to come back in! The moose legs are awesome toys but it's extra special to him because the Bunsen, Beaker, Bernoulli & Brix family gave it to him. They were some of the first humans that came over and met him when he was pork roast sized, and have visited numerous times. We don't have very many human visitors so those visits have been very influential to Kenji. The relationships with human friends a puppy makes early in life get etched into their hearts. In Kenji's heart the Zackowskis are family. 🎥 The Mooseweiler with his moose leg. #MooseParts #DogHearts #KenjiChaos
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽36,881 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
🚨 Please stop and listen to my Ted Barkx about how a human doesn't need to be stylish, young, or affluent to be influential on social media. We've taken a middle-aged woman missing some body parts and as of today have 100K X followers. It just required a cool dog. That dog can help harness the power of the Interwoof to show people how to sniff out their own happiness, overcome big challenges, be the best version of themselves, and find joy in simplicity. That dog can remind humans that every day they can choose to make the world a little bit better and that they do make a difference. They will demonstrate that loving a dog gives you strength and being loved by a dog gives you courage. An individual's thoughts and feelings are significantly affected by the messages surrounding them. That's good news. It means you can choose if you want your influences to be positive, motivating and make you feel good, or if you want your influences to be negative, shallow, bitter, or miserable. You can never go wrong being influenced by a good dog. And for those that follow us, thanks for helping us spread a little sunshine, and hopefully, one woof at a time, make the world just a little bit better. 🎥 Me and my human give a Ted Barkx presentation from the kitchen #gratitude #100K #ListenToTheDogs #SurroundYourselfWithGoodness
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽19,473 Aufrufe • vor 26 Tagen
🐶First he bit my tail, then he tried to steal my spot on the couch, and then he used my face as a punching bag for his murder mittens. 🐾 He still doesn't realize I could torpedo his little ham sized body off the couch with one quick paw smack. But I don't because I'm a good girl and Santa is watching.🎄 Goodness knows, I'll need him to replace some of my stuff the potato with teeth has annihilated. #HeKnowsIfYouveBeenGood Video description for inclusivity: Chesnyy the Servicerottie lays on the couch with Baby Kenji He bats her face and nibbles on it. She licks him back.
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽133,082 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
🐶📱 Have you ever gotten a FaceTime from a Rottweiler… and realized it might be an actual emergency? Because I make that a real possibility, and no, it’s not so I can show Bernoulli my latest stick collection. I’m Chesnyy, Professional Good Girl™ and emergency communication expert. My human is a non-ambulatory wheelchair user. She cannot stand up. At all. If she falls from her wheelchair and can’t get back up (or if her power chair suddenly dies like the time she got stuck in front of the fridge for what felt like three business days), her phone might be out of reach. That’s where I come in. We have this fancy button called an iPupPee. When she says “FaceTime,” I go step on it. Instantly her emergency contacts get an actual incoming *video call* from me, complete with the most ridiculous ringtone you’ve ever heard. Who’s going to ignore “Incoming video call from Chesnyy”? Exactly. No one with a soul (or a functioning sense of self-preservation). This is NOT the same as me borrowing her phone to FaceTime Bernoulli for pillow talk or my girl Cloe just to gossip about squirrels. This button is strictly for “Human needs backup” situations. I have been informed that using it for snack requests is grounds for immediate demotion. Yes, there are smartwatches and all that fancy human tech. But watches have to charge. Sometimes she’s just gotten out of the shower and it’s not on her wrist yet. Or she forgets to put it on because she has an attention span shorter than the puppy's. Texts are easy to ignore. A Rottweiler staring into the camera with that “I mean business” face? Not so much. Today we started training the Mooseweiler, also known as Kenji, the overgrown pork roast currently living on giant paws. He picked it up ridiculously fast, even from ten feet away. We took turns. Next session we plug the camera in so he gets used to the sound, and then we keep practicing until both of us can sprint to that button from any room in the house. Because independence is wonderful… until the fridge becomes a prison. You’re welcome. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure the pork roast doesn’t try to use it to order pizza. 🎥 Actual video evidence that Kenji has something other than noodles in his giant noggin. #ServiceDog #iPupPee #Rottweiler #DisabilityTech #Accessibility
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽10,141 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
It appears my baby brother, Kenji the Mooseweiler, is going to excel in scent detection and tracking. Last month he learned his first odor and started doing easy searches. He even did some outdoor searches that are much harder. But this week he was quickly introduced to a new odor by being allowed to sniff the tin and given a cookie. He then found the tin 3 times. So tonight the human and I made it tougher. The odor was hidden in an area he had never been through, that had numerous different hiding areas, a ton of competing scents, and rabbits in the area. And the odor was hid high, so it's harder to find. Spare human took the kid out which meant we couldn't accidentally give him hints of where to look. Kenji's giant melon led the way and he went right to work and sniffed it out in less than a minute. The kid can find the odor faster than I can! I'm pretty sure it's because his head is so big so his nostrils must be wider. He's pretty proud of himself now. This is gonna make his head even bigger. "When are you guys gonna make it hard to find, Chesnyy? This is easy!" Now if only he could find his modesty. 🎥 Kenji on the hunt #BigPawsBigSnoot #Nosework #Sniff #Mooseweiler
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽10,358 Aufrufe • vor 18 Tagen
Every year we hunt Easter Eggs! It's my absawoofly favorite holiday activity! This year Bernoulli and Beaker from Bunsen, Beaker, Bernoulli & Brix came out to try. Bernoulli did great but it was Beaker's time to shine. That girl is a natural and was hunting eggs like she'd done this all her life! My little brother Kenji did very well considering he's just a baby. It was windy and between blowing leaves and the scary flapping plastic bag, it was a lot for his brain. Thankfully he didn't start barking in his young Justin Bieber voice and embarrass me. My pals Cloe_Bear and Detective Dug 🇨🇦 came out again this year. The 3 of us are pro level egg hunters. We could do this every single day and never get bored. Our only complaint was that we only got to find a dozen eggs each. We want more next year. A big bonus was the cold wind would have made wearing silly rabbit ears impossible. They'd have blown across the parking lot so we didn't have to do the boring stuff and could focus on treats. Best Easter Ever!!! 🎥 Highlights of our egg hunt #EasterEggHunt #Nosework #DogLife
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽57,473 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
The Mooseweiler puppy has made a friend! Dexter lives next door. He's about 8 years old and was a rescue from Mexico. Dexter barks at EVERYONE. Someone walks down the sidewalk, Dexter is at the gate beside his house barking. Someone walks on the path behind the house. Dexter is at the fence barking. I go outside to pee. Dexter let's the world know. We're by no means enemies, but I wouldn't call us friends. More like fence acquaintances. I've been on a walk with him, and we've visited each other's yards to try and reduce his need to bark at me. We even took out some of the fencing slats so he could see me better to see if sniffing through the fence would reduce his barking. Not really, but it definitely helped me to be less concerned about his barking. If I go out, I usually give him a nod from halfway across the yard and just give him space. Sometimes I go to give him a sniff at the fence and as long as it's just he and I it's fine. But if Kenji's there and I sniff the fence and Dexter barks, Kenji starts barking and leaping on me, and it just creates chaos. Oddly enough if Kenji is out by himself or what out together and I don't go near the fence while Dexter is out, Kenji just ignores him. Until now. This time we were outside and Dexter barked at me. Kenji jumped on me, I barked at Kenji and the human called me and let me inside. She left Kenji outside and this time he decided to go to the fence and sniff Dexter. Of course Dexter barked. Kenji made one of his weird goose noises and dropped into a play bow wagging his tail excitedly. Dexter bounced off the fence and barked. So Kenji wiggled harder. And then Dexter did what he typically does, runs along the fence and back to bark some more. Except this time when he ran, Kenji ran too. And when they came back, Dexter let out a bark and they raced again. Over and over. That's probably the most Dexter has ran in a year! It's great they made friends. Now hopefully when Dexter barks Kenji will go say hi instead of leaping on me! What's really great though is Dexter isn't barking as much when we go out. He watches us more, barks a little, but not with the same intensity. And Kenji gets to burn off a bit more energy. 🎥 Kenji plays tag with Dexter #Friends #FenceTag #Neighbours
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽12,903 Aufrufe • vor 28 Tagen
🐾There wasn't much sleep last night. The little man serenaded us with puppy classics like "I don't want to sleep in the puppy pen", "Where's my. momma and brothers and sisters" and of course "I pooped and stepped in it". So I made a few woofs and bounced around and it seemed to quiet him. 💤 But morning potty time sure came early and now Kenji has a few complaints about the scheduling of breakfast. I sure hope he wants a nap soon! #KenjiTalks #TheKenjiAndChesmyyShow Video description for inclusivity: a tiny Rottweiler puppy bounces around on a couch. Chesnyy lays on the floor nearby. He barks at her.
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽78,303 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
🐾woke up to this 10-lb potato breaking into my bed, he kissed my entire face like i’m his girlfriend, booped me (bold) and smacked my paws, then looked me dead in my soul, stole my dragon, and left!😲 I weigh 90 lbs. he is literally a chicken nugget. I'm being robbed by a nugget!! 🐾 send help or more dragons, idk 🐲 #ChesnyyChronicles #TinyTerrorist #Kenji
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽74,615 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
When your baby brother who's literally the size of a cooked Christmas turkey thinks he’s the boss of the house, but you’re a 100lb “please, make better choices” machine💪🐾 I was literally just standing there, vibing, existing in peace. This tiny menace comes flying in for a surprise chomp — one casual paw swipe and I accidentally yeeted him across the room like he was a curling rock on ice. He pops back up like a jack-in-the-box on steroids, charges for the full-body slam — hits me and bounces off like a tennis ball off a garage door. I give him the gentlest “kindly fluff off” correction known to dogkind — he flops, rolls over, and immediately pulls the Academy Award victim routine: big eyes, dramatic sigh, “why meeee?” The human steps in and sends us across the room and suggests we meditate as our antics are interrupting her Christmas baking marathon. Does the little terrorist reflect? Nope. He spends the next forever barking pure disrespect as he follows me around: “Old lady!” “Grandma!” “You’re too slow, fossil!” So I stroll over, pick up HIS holy tug rope (the one he’d fight a bear for), and just… hold it. Nice and high. Zero effort. Kenji absolutely loses his marbles. Popcorn jumps, helicopter spins, grunt-screaming like he’s trying to start a lawnmower, tiny Scrappy Doo legs paddling the air, tongue flapping like a flag in a hurricane. He clamps on, pulls with every ounce of his dramatic little soul…Rope doesn’t even twitch. I’m over here daydreaming about treats while he slowly melts into a sweaty, panting heap of defeated puppy. Moral of the story, Kenji: Keep testing Big Sis and you’ll keep collecting these free, gentle life lessons in glorious 4K. Love you anyway, rutabaga gremlin. #Servicerottie #RottweilerLife #BigSisterEnergy #KenjiTheMenace #TugOfWarFail #SiblingShenaniigans #InterwoofComedy 🎥 Evidence of the fluff I put up with
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽67,846 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
Today I went with the humans to get the keys to our new home! The house that love bought!❤️ It was my first time in it. I found the front ramp and checked out the kitchen. The fridge spits ice if you push it with your nose!!! But the best part is the ramp to the backyard! It's not a big yard, but big enough for zoomies and ball!!!! The next few days are gonna be busy. We need to finish packing. Move stuff. There's some adaptations that we still need to do to like taking some doors off until they get widened, and maybe making the kitchen more functional for a wheelchair. We didn't stay long today. Just long enough to measure some things and have a good play. We have a lot to do the next few days. The movers are coming Saturday! Video description for inclusivity: Chesnyy in front of her new home, going up a ramp and through a door, checking out the kitchen and looking out windows, then running down a ramp and playing in a yard.
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽85,619 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Bernoulli knows the way to a girl's heart is a mooseleg. ❤️🐾❤️
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽13,000 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Admin Post; Tonight I started shaping a "Place" on a mat with Kenji. As soon as I put the mat down he sniffed, I clicked and tossed a treat. When he came back, he walked right onto it, I clicked and tossed the treat. And then grabbed my phone because I wanted to capture this. He gave me multiple reps of coming to the mat and retrieving the treat within the first few minutes. He had it figured out so fast. I keep these sessions short. Especially with puppies. I lost his focus a bit because he found a stay treat, but we got it back and he offered the behavior of going to the mat. Multiple times. Tomorrow we'll do a couple reputations and I'll add the cue. It's always amazing to work with a puppy like this. The kind that figures things out so fast. Free shaping has the dog figure out what to do by the timing of the click. I only introduced the clicker yesterday for about 4 minutes. In one session he's doing what took 2-3 sessions with pups 6 weeks older. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. He comes from a line of top obedience dogs. He's going to be so much fun to train!! #MensaPuppy #ProdigyPup Video description for inclusivity: Kenji, a young Rottweiler puppy walks onto a mat. He hears a click and stops and then a treat is tossed. The pattern is repeated multiple times with him settling into sits on the mat.
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽59,568 Aufrufe • vor 9 Monaten
Do you ride a bike? Or an e-scooter? Or walk a dog? If so, please take a second to read this. If you are on a bike or scooter on a shared pathway and approaching someone walking a dog, please be courteous and slow down a little. Especially if coming up from behind. I am a wheelchair user with a dog and we have way too many close calls with fast moving bikes and scooters. People not using a bell and whipping by within inches. If the dog turned it's head or stepped a bit wide, they'd be hit. I'll happily move as far to one side of the path as possible, and if I've got the younger dog who isn't as experienced around fast moving things, I'll stop at the very side and have him sit in front of me to give everyone as much space as possible. If I don't know you're approaching, I can't do that. So please, for the love of dog, use your bell. Don't wait until you're right behind someone with a dog. Use it while you're still at a distance, and if you aren't sure they noticed it, ring it a few more times. Give them as much time as possible to move to the side and prepare the dog. If it's a puppy or a dog that hasn't had much experience with bikes, being able to get them off the path or give them a little extra distance from the fast moving bike helps prevent them from getting scared. The vast majority of cyclists are great and really respectful, but there's always a few that aren't. This year the challenge is kids on e-scooters. They are going fast and having fun. Safety isn't at the forefront of their mind. They often don't use a bell or slow down at blind corners, and many don't think about giving the dog any space. I've been startled a few times by them so I can only imagine how the dog felt. This is one of the reasons why I do a lot of desensitization and counter conditioning. Dog owners-you need to do your part to. If you've got headphones on, make sure you can still hear the bike bell. Make sure to give the cyclist or scooter rider as much space as possible from your dog. And of course, unless you are on a designated off leash trail, keep your dog on a leash. If you have a puppy or a newly adopted dog that might not be comfortable around bikes, take some kibble or treats and go hang out with them near a multi use path. Let them watch. As the bike or scooter approaches, drop a few treats on the ground. For many dogs, this is all it takes, but if your dog is visibly stressed, fixated on the bike, or reacting, try moving a further from the trail and once they're comfortable at a slightly further distance, try closer again. If they are still stressed or fearful even with more distance, don't force the issue. Instead introduce them to a bike that isn't moving, and gradually work them up from there. If they are struggling, talk to a trainer. Regardless of if you are holding a leash, riding a bike or scooter, or enjoying a walk outdoors, just be respectful. And of course, be safe. Thanks, Admin 🎥 Puppy walk for cuteness
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽15,771 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Many rescues, shelters, and breeders have already decided that a human with a disability can't handle a high-drive or working breed dog like me... They see a wheelchair or a cane and simply say no. Sometimes they do the same thing to seniors. While not every person in their 70s is fit and highly active, some are. Most wheelchair users aren't as experienced with dogs and have ways to ensure our needs are met, but some , like mine are. Blanket policies that don't look at the individual are common and they are keeping some truly pawsome teams apart! 🐾 But check out this power wheelchair dog walk proof! I'm briskly trotting sidewalks and paths like a pro, then off-leash grass chaos — rolling, spinning, and bouncing with full zoomie energy! We've been proving them wrong every day: I get all my high-drive needs met (zoomies included!), demo tricks in classes, tackle adventures together, and my human's power chair keeps right up, sometimes even leading the chase to the best smells. High-drive Rottie? Handled with style! It's time for more open minds out there. Disability doesn't mean "can't do dogs". It just means creative, determined, and extra-fun partnerships. The right team can handle anything! Who's with me on this? Drop a 🐾 if you agree! 🦽🐶❤️ #ServiceDogLife #OpenMinds #ProveThemWrong
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽14,794 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Can you imagine an intruder breaking in, coming face to face with a big, solid rottweiler and it starts making these sounds? Even the squirrels were laughing at Kenji tonight. He's 9 months old. I don't think he's going to grow out of this. I think he might be copying the birds. #KenjiSings #HeNeedsAVocalCoach
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽11,438 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
🐾I'm Chesnyy, a highly trained Service Rottweiler, and I'm filing an official complaint about today’s “family photo” session. 📸 The Human: “Chesnyy, just put your paw over Kenji’s shoulder and act like you love your little brother for five seconds.”🐶♥️ Me: Approaches with the patience of a saint. Gently places paw on shoulder like I’m diffusing a bomb.💣 Kenji: Immediately transforms into a greased eel on a Red Bull binge. Wiggles, spins, attempts to eat my entire leg. Me: Okay, reposition #1. Reposition #2 through #47. Still looks like I’m trying to hug a blender set to “puree.” Kenji: Now adding interpretive dance and occasional attempted murder of my paw. And my face. Me: Fine. Diplomacy has failed. → Big sister protocol engaged: Hook paw under his chest, drag him across the floor like a stubborn Roomba, flip him flat on his back with extreme prejudice. Pin. Stare directly into his tiny chaotic soul until he submits. The Human: click 📸“Perfect! Got it!” Translation: The photo looks adorable. Kenji appears sweet and innocent. I look like the calm, loving big sister. The truth? I just performed a hostage negotiation with a furry tornado. 🌪️ Reward for my heroic efforts? One cookie tossed across the room so I could finally release the kraken and chase it in peace. Little brothers are proof that evolution has a sense of humor. Who else is stuck wrangling a pint-sized terrorist disguised as a puppy? Drop your “sibling takedown” videos below—I need evidence I’m not the only one living this nightmare. Funniest chaos clip gets a RT (The human owes me). Let’s make this thread blow up! 💣💥 #Rottweiler #ServiceDog #PuppyChaos #BigSisterLife #KenjiTheMenace #DogVideos #FunnyDogs 🎥 Family photo time
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽44,925 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
Baby Rottie Kenji doesn't know what a disability is. He doesn't care that we have a human that can't walk. He definitely doesn't care she looks different than most humans. That's something humans judge not dogs. We pass judgement on a person's ability to provide food and if they pay the cheese tax. Kenji cares about the stuff she does with us, not the stuff she can't. And to be honest, usually it's not that she can't, but that accessibility barriers prevent her from being able to. Between obedience games, enrichment activities, fitness, scent detection training, tasks and tricks, and grooming, she keeps us pretty fulfilled. And she knows how to cook bacon! The pretty much makes her a goddess in our books. Humans should probably judge each other by the criteria we use. The world would probably be a better place then. 🎥 Kenji showing off some skills #DogLogic #Disabilities #ServiceRotties #PuppySkills
Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕🦺🦽10,522 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat