Dan

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

It's good Friday! Actually it's great Friday! Because this moose sized chaos yak (AKA baby rottie Kenji) went on a training field trip while I, Chesnyy, Professional Good Girl™ had a few hours of peace and quiet to watch Bluey and gnaw on a bone. It was great while it lasted. I hope your Friday was great too!

Admin note: Kenji had a trip to a hardware store to get some exposure to new things. At 6 months of age EVERYTHING is interesting, and sometimes scary. Especially in a new environment. The power doors that suddenly slide open are weird, and even though he's totally comfortable with wheelchair wheels, the big carts at the hardware store were loud and rattled and made him nervous at first. There was even a small fluffy dog at the store although that didn't phase him at all.

I use a lot of positive reinforcement to help him develop a positive emotional response to new places and new people. Right now his self confidence is the priority in every outing. While having an obedient dog that listens and behaves is great, if they are stressed or nervous, eventually those emotions override all the trained behavior, and they react to something. For many dogs, that leads to a cycle. They get nervous, they bark, they get removed from the stressful situation and learn that barking makes the problem go away. It takes a long time to fix those patterns. Taking time to work on confidence in as many new situations as possible plays a big role in preventing reactivity. And while we can't avoid everything that causes our dogs stress, spending time building confidence helps them develop resiliency so they can handle those stresses instead of becoming overwhelmed.

Our dogs bring so much good into our lives but the human world can be weird, scary, and stressful for them. I want to do what I can to help them have good experiences helping us live our best lives.

[Cloe_Bear @cloe_the_bear]

Guys guess what!? Dad removed the restrictions on the back yard race track! I repeat the back yard race track is open for full tilt zoomies! 🐕🐾💨🏎️😃😃😃

[Dan @dskorks]

Hey @CityofEdmonton do better. Be better. Follow your own guidance and policy. Going to the store, mailbox, or park is everyone right. Let’s be better than this, let’s do better than this.

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

Admin Post:
Heavy snowfall warning—15-30 cm possible starting tonight. And I'm still trapped behind ice I can't cross from New Year's snow. My heart #&*%ing hurts. Gutted. Exhausted beyond words.

Weeks of great weather: no snow, above freezing, paths I could've used. Days to get out with my service dog or walk the puppy, feel alive, fight the darkness in my mind that grows and smothers me when I'm housebound. But it's bigger than mental health—it's total isolation from the world.

Two houses on my street never cleared their sidewalks. Thick, rutted ice like a wall. My power wheelchair can't cross. That blocks my route to the nearest bus stop. Impossible to reach transit. Parking a van with a ramp in winter in most areas? Forget it—"accessible" stalls too small, windrows piled high, street designs like snow covered boulevards that are hostile to anyone with mobility issues who needs to drive. No safe spot to deploy the ramp without risking the street or getting stuck.

So what does that mean? Cut off from doctor's appointments. Groceries. Pharmacy runs. Community resources that keep me going. Everything essential. My world shrinks to this house while the city claims "accessibility is a priority." I call BS. Priorities are the things that get done.

Reported to @CityofEdmonton via 311 two weeks ago. Screenshot attached: photo of the ice, report still "open." No update, no officer visit, no warning. Their process: investigate within 4 business days, then often a "courtesy" warning (not required) for voluntary compliance. This means a disabled persons right to access the community is less important than someone's opportunity to comply with a by-law. Weeks get wasted. Melt days gone. Beautiful weather I could've used—slipped away while I waited, trapped.

The bylaw requires sidewalks clear of snow/ice. Enforcement? Drags. Warnings first (even after weeks), $100 fine + cleanup only if ignored. No priority for accessibility complaints, even though blocked paths don't inconvenience—they disable. They isolate. They harm mental and physical health. Year after year, it's the same failures. No change.

I'm not just sad. I'm furious in a quiet, bone-deep way. My dog stares at the door, tail low, confused why we don't go. I choke out "not today" and it rips my heart out every time. This isn't living. This is surviving.

@CityofEdmonton @AndrewKnack: This system is failing disabled Edmontonians. Fix it now.

For accessibility-impacting cases (mobility/mental health/transit access at stake): skip courtesy warnings. Issue the fine immediately after confirming violation. Make it waivable—if homeowner proves cleared (photo/receipt), waive. If valid reason (illness, disability) and they contact the city within 2 days—waive if legit, connect to community shoveling resources. Escalate fines for second/third offenses to deter chronic neglect.

Benefits: One officer visit vs. multiple follow-ups. Faster compliance. Less burden on bylaw. Real priority for people who can't wait weeks/months to access their city.

The only real reason not to change this—to hold negligent homeowners more accountable—is that it would force the city to hold *itself* more accountable too. And let's be real: the city's own snow-clearing delays, windrows blocking paths, slow responses to complaints, and hostile designs have been huge accessibility fails for years. If we're serious about inclusion, everyone—including city operations—needs to step up.

This incoming weather buries paths deeper. Buries hope. More snow coming, and who knows when the next chance to successfully get anywhere will come.

If your sidewalk's blocked, or you've been stuck waiting on 311—reply, quote, share. Tag the city and mayor. Make them hear us.

We deserve access. Not excuses. Not "open" status while we're shut in.

#Edmonton #Accessibility # DisabledInYEG #WinterInYEG #BylawFail #MentalHealthMatters #311Fail #TransitAccess

[Dan @dskorks]

@mtgreenee Get rid of them all. Hold every single one of them accountable for their actions

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

The @cityofcalgary is starting a project where they have all-terrain wheelchairs available for use in some parks. This is a great idea. It's worth the 3 hour drive for us to check this out. Good job Calgary!
@CityofEdmonton, this is an example of making accessibility a priority. You should follow this lead.

Explore parks in a new way this winter with an All-Terrain Wheelchair https://t.co/lsejLnRfS0

[Dan @dskorks]

@servicerotties Don’t worry Chesnyy you are and always will be #1 rottie to me

[Dan @dskorks]

@CanadianPenny1 Im ao sorry to hear Penny. I hope you feel better and just know that you will get all the love care and attention you need from the staff ❤️❤️‍🩹❤️❤️‍🩹

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

Your gift wrapping: looks like a hostage situation involving tape 🎁

Kuno’s wrapping: Michelin-starred, five-star Yelp review, framed in the Louvre, done with paws the size of dinner plates 🐾

I've brought out the Kuno & Chesnyy gift wrapping masterclass so you have a step by step guide on how to "Wrap like a Rottie" 🎄🎄🎄

Like if you just whispered “good dog” at your phone ❤️
Share to help every human with thumbs do better 🎄🐶🎁

#WrapLikeARottie #PresentsAndPaws

[Dan @dskorks]

@Rooster5234 @servicerotties @Ladydi25059763 There are many things in life that they could complain about, and very rarely do they ever complain. They educate.

I hope you or your loved ones never end up in a wheelchair, and have to learn to navigate the unfathomable barriers and obstacles that pop up at every turn

[Dan @dskorks]

@servicerotties I’m so happy for you!!! That is the best day ever!

[Dan @dskorks]

@TKBryanSr @PioneerLogHomes Washed the logs last weekend, checking everything over, and making a list for what needs maintenance, any new checks that need chinking or anything that needs re-chinking

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

It was June of 2019, 6 years ago now. I woke up in agonizing pain in this very white room with a blinding light. I could barely move, everything was blurry and it took what felt like hours for the fog to lift enough to see the IV tubes and recognize that I was on a hospital gurney. I couldn't find the strength or energy to sit up but managed to run my right hand down my right leg trying to feel for whatever wound that was causing it to feel like something was stabbing me in the bone. I felt the bandages mid thigh and managed to shift myself a bit to reach lower and was hit with a wave of nausea when I discovered there was nothing below the knee. I'm not even sure how I discovered the other leg had been amputated about 8 inches below the knee. I don't remember much of those days other than bright lights, pain, and being freezing cold. 

Later I managed to piece together bits and pieces of it. An ambulance ride because I was so sick from a soft tissue infection in the leg that I couldn't even walk. A man with a clipboard saying something about needing consent if they had to amputate but they'd do everything they could to save the limbs, and someone asking about what they should do if I stopped breathing. I remember I said they needed to get me better as fast as possible so I could go home to my dogs. 

The first few weeks were awful. There were points that I honestly didn't think I'd ever leave that hospital bed. I was really sick. A bone infection had me hospitalized for 6 weeks just a few months prior and my body just couldn't fight this new infection that turned septic. There were a lot of antibiotics, another surgery to remove more of my left leg, and blood transfusions. 

Eventually I started to stabilize physically, but that's when the reality of not knowing what life would be like started to hit. I had moments of extreme hope where I fully believed I'd be fitted with prosthetics, learn to walk again, and go home and have a somewhat normal life. There were also moments where because of so many additional problems, I was terrified I'd be trapped in an institution forever. The only constant in my life was that I wanted to go home to my dogs. They were fine, a family member had them, but many days my first question was “are the dogs OK?”

A very unemotional doctor bluntly broke it to me that I'd likely never be a candidate for prosthetics. Too many inflammatory issues and wounds that didn't heal well. Maybe, at some point, I could get one for the below knee amputation to help make transfers out of the wheelchair easier, but her recommendation was to apply for funding for a power wheelchair as I had too much damage to my one hand from a prior infection to be able to safely use a manual wheelchair. That's when I realized I'd never see the inside of the house I was renting again. Everything about my life changed and I had no idea what was going to happen to me or where I'd end up. 

I was in that hospital for 2 months before I was well enough to transfer to one in the city I resided in. I spent another 2 months there. The priorities became getting as physically strong as I could so I'd be able to take care of the dogs, and finding somewhere we could call home. Any time I was allowed an extra session in the physio room, I took it, and I pushed myself as hard as I could to get strong. That was way easier than the house hunting part.

I'd had years of health issues, and had often struggled with mobility. I thought I understood the barriers I'd face because of this. I was so wrong. The barriers I had known grew 10 fold. I couldn't even find an apartment to rent in the city I lived in. Or the closest major city. Our first accessible apartment was in a small town with no way to access the necessary medical supports I needed. They had a small accessible bus that ran from 9-3 two days a week. There was no grocery delivery. My parents would bring me groceries and tried to help as much as they could. A few volunteers in the dog community became my lifeline. 

It took a year to find a place in the city. And it was a fluke. Almost all barrier free rentals are through community housing, and to be honest, they typically suck. No access to a balcony, laundry was often communal and a struggle to get a basket to. There's no roll in showers, and kitchens have no adaptations. They're often tiny units that don't consider the extra space needed for mobility aids. I couldn't even get to the dumpster in the alley to take garbage out in the winter. But then I found a lovely condo that was partially accessible in a nice neighborhood. With an accessible balcony and underground parking that's been my dog training area most winter days. The owner is a disabled man and his wife and they were able to build an accessible house to move into. Rent is about 70% of my income, but I've thrived here. Kuno, the bestest Servicerottie ever, made me brave enough to get out and explore the community. I learned to drive with hand controls, used up my savings and crowd funded some extra to get a used accessible van. I do things I never thought I'd be able to do. 

But there's always a fight, and there's so many places I can't go because of poor accessibility. Most cities do a crappy job of being inclusive of people with disabilities. Mine is no exception. We go weeks in the winter time not being able to get further than a city block. There's no accessible parking on side streets and often businesses haven't upgraded to proper accessible parking where there's room to drop a ramp. Recent studies show that about 60% of public buildings aren't properly accessible in Canada. A lot of times living in an apartment is like being trapped in a box. A raised garden bed would be great. There's no way to have that on a balcony with room to maneuver. Sure, there's Community Gardens and they are supposed to be accessible but the reality is they're not. Finding places to play with a dog or train off leash is not easy. I can't even access the lovely off leash trails nearby because they all have staircases to get to them. I end up socially isolated because I can't visit friends and family in their homes so I miss out on their birthdays or any activities that they host. Winter is really hard. I often have to park at the far end of a lot so the ramp doesn't get blocked and I just can't maneuver through the slush and snow. It becomes like house arrest. At times it gets incredibly disheartening. I still have other health issues and fatigue makes things challenging, but I try really really hard not to fall into self pity. It will destroy me.

But I'm so excited because somehow we managed to find a house that's been adapted enough that I can function there, and with the help of many people, we're getting that yard. Finally a place to do the off leash dog training. I can clear the deck of snow with a leaf blower and still get outside in the winter. I can have that raised garden bed. There's room to foster a dog. Is it a perfect place? No. Inevitably it would be nice to lower and counter top and make the kitchen sink roll under. It would be great to widen the spare room doors and bring the laundry room upstairs. 

Our society doesn't really care about accessible housing. The options are few. I've always feared what would happen to me if my landlords had to sell. I'd likely have to move away to a small town where there was an accessible unit in a government subsidized apartment. I'm not even sure how I'd handle things like when my wheelchair needed servicing and it had to come to the city. I'd have no supports. Now I'll have stability. I feel like I need to keep fighting for better accessible housing though. There should at least be a couple of accessible or easy to adapt options in every market. Sure there's a government program to help with some modifications, however if the disabled applicant is on title, they need to reside there for 2 years before they can apply. That's a long time to go without a bathroom. The income thresholds are way too low, and the property value needs to be low if the disabled individual owns it. In our area the property value limit is less than the average house. Things like that make it incredibly hard for people to get an accessible house. If there was a requirement for all new apartment complexes to have a few barrier free units, it would mean people could have rental options in different communities and in different price ranges. Depending on the individual, financial circumstances can vary greatly. There are those who rely strictly on a government disability income and have very little money . There are those who became disabled in an accident and may have received a good settlement and have better options. There's people like me who have long-term disability through work which gives me a little bit more money than if I was on government support, but doesn't give me access to some of the programs that I would get so it doesn't necessarily put me ahead, and then there are those who simply come from a family with more money. But when it comes to housing for people with disabilities there's either low income housing or extremely expensive modifications you can make in a home. Finding a modified house with ramps and an accessible bathroom is extremely rare, and for under 600K almost impossible. In the new developments (where other aspects of accessibility like proper curb ramps exist, and the commercial building code is better), developers could offer one model of home in each market level that is easily adaptable. However that would require a municipal government that really took accessibility seriously. Ours doesn't. But it's an election year so maybe there's a little hope.

A lot has changed for me this past 6 years. I've fought like hell to get here. Sometimes I'm amazed at what I'm capable of. Other times, I look in the mirror and I resent my limitations, hate being so visibly different and get really frustrated with myself. There's times I feel very inadequate and want to hide from the world. Having a dog means I can't just stay in bed and be miserable though. I have to go outside, for their sake. And in doing that, I get okay with me. Having a permanent home, with a yard (excited squeal) is going to give me the ability to be a better advocate for others and hopefully make the world a little better. 
🏡❤️🐾

[Detective Dug 🇨🇦 @DetectiveDugDog]

It’s #ThrowbackThursday pals!

This is a throwback to our 2024 Yukon Adventure!

Mom has been finally getting around to editing our videos and pictures into something.

If anyone is interested in watching along, she just made the latest one: https://t.co/HdZLofDIiF

[Detective Dug 🇨🇦 @DetectiveDugDog]

Thank you @JohnHeim for your amazing work!

Big thanks to @KaiaIsland for the extremely thoughtful gift ♥️ ♥️.

The humans were quick to add it to our wall. 💕

[Dan @dskorks]

@servicerotties I’ll volunteer to rub that belly Chesnyy

[HEY,I AM PISTOL @HeyPistol]

Thank you so much for all the support and positive comments,they have really been keeping me sane during this difficult time ❤️

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

Admin post:
In October of 2019 I was discharged from hospital after a 4 month stay where I battled sepsis and ended up having both legs amputated. I couldn't go back to the house I was renting as it was completely inaccessible, so my dogs and I moved into a wheelchair accessible apartment in a small bedroom community. My older dog was ready to retire from service work, and my younger dog, Kuno had been training to take over from her to be my mobility assistance dog. The apartment complex I moved into only allowed service dogs but gave me a 90 day grace period to finish Kuno's training and have him undergo our provincial Service Dog Assessment. However I couldn't drive, I didn't even have a properly fitted wheelchair, and it seemed impossible to get Kuno out to the places we needed to go to get his public access training in. It was incredibly stressful and scary.
Then, I met Jason and his dogs Mowgli and Pistol. A mutual friend who knew Jason had an extensive background in animal rescue and fostering dogs and happened to be off work for a few months thought maybe he could help me. He went so far over and above. He'd drive out and help me transfer into the car, and load up my bulky manual loaner wheelchair, and take Kuno and I to the mall to work on public access skills. He took me to medical appointments that I needed to get to and would have had no other way to get to them. He'd bring his dogs out to my town so Kuno could get comfortable and play with them. He learned my cues and my rules for walking Kuno and would take him out when I couldn't. Without his assistance, we'd have never passed our public access test. But even after we had done that, he still stuck around and helped out with dogs. He had grown up around disabilities and was the one person who treated me like I was normal. The awkward and embarrassing stuff was way less embarrassing with him. New places and situations were really scary for me, so he'd come with me so I'd have help if I ended up needing it. He and Kuno made me brave.
Several months later I found a better place to rent in the city and finally got a proper power wheelchair. We walked Pistol and Kuno together nearly every single day. Our dogs became best pals. So did we. We'd take the dogs for ice cream, watch hockey games together with them, and took them on adventures.
Our older dogs passed away and I feel like both Pistol and Kuno took comfort in each other's presence. Neither were really social dogs. They were selective about their friends. If for some reason I couldn't look after Kuno, he'd stay with Jason and Pistol. When Chesnyy joined my household, we did a slow introduction with Pistol, but it didn't take long until they were good friends as well. Since Kuno's passing, Jason sometimes drops him off, so Chesnyy isn't lonely.
Jason and Pistol are like family to me. We've celebrated birthdays, Christmas, all sorts of achievements and great stuff. And we've grieved some big losses together. They've been there through some tough emotional stuff, some scary health stuff, and have been there for me through so much.
Right now Pistol is not well. He's having surgery tomorrow to remove what is most likely a cancerous mass. Although he's 9 years old, he's fit and an otherwise healthy dog. He's a very good boy and even though he has wickedly stinky farts, he's super cuddly. So, if you pray, pray for Pistol and his dad. If you believe in positive thoughts, please send them his way, or if you have some other thing you do, do it for @HeyPistol. This dog and this human have done so much for me. They deserve miracles.
❤️

[Dan @dskorks]

@servicerotties ❤️❤️

[Dan @dskorks]

This is unacceptable

[Minnie🐈‍⬛Molly🐶Neville🌈 🐾 and Heather 🇨🇦 @HeatherPrunkl]

Dear @hudsonsbay re: your store in Southgate, Edmonton. I get you’re closing but having no accessibility to your second floor is not cool. Your employee telling my wheelchair using husband that he could go out to the parkade, up to the next level and back in is even less cool.

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

For those who have asked, we've created a fundraising page for the Kuno memorial trip.
If there's funds leftover they just end up going into our entry fee fund, medical equipment maintenance fund, or the "maybe we can get a house one day" fund
❤️

https://t.co/mTewxpWEzJ