Riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle around Wichita with his two chihuahuas in tow, Jesus Carrasco is one of the few dog owners who understands why dogs feel the urge to stick their heads out of the car window when going for a drive. 

For the past three years, the 33-year-old Wichita father of two has escorted his helmet-clad brown-on-reddish-brown chihuahuas, Momma, 7, and Butters No. 2, 5, pretty much everywhere on his Harley Sportster Iron 883, inducing smiles and much amusement along the way. His social media sites with the handle @two_chihuahuas89 feature video footage of the two easy-riding dogs in tow. With close to 2 million followers on TikTok — his most-viewed video has 6.4 million likes — and nearly 160,000 followers on Instagram, Carrasco’s pups are both a sensation on social media and in real life, where they turn heads as they run errands and go for joy rides about town.

Carrasco’s virtual “petting zoo” of animals at home includes two more dogs, a cat, and a tortoise. “I’ve always been an animal lover,” the longtime Walser BMW salesman said. “I grew up an only child in a Hispanic family in El Dorado where you either liked animals or you didn’t. We didn’t have pets, so when I was able to be out on my own, I got a few. That’s how I ended up with my chihuahuas.” 

It was during the pandemic that Momma and Butters joined Carrasco on the open road. “When Covid happened, everybody was super bored and didn’t know what to do,” he said. “My fiance, Robyn, and I had the dogs with us whenever we were together. We used to take them everywhere in our Jeep. When I got a motorcycle, Robyn said, ’Why don’t you take the dogs with you (on the bike)?’ I thought she was crazy. She bought me a carrying pack for them and we started by putting cheap goggles on them.”

At Robyn’s suggestion, Carrasco purchased a GoPro camera kit and began posting their riding adventure videos on TikTok. After dressing them in novelty helmets modified by Carrasco, their online presence became a viral sensation almost overnight, necessitating the addition of a second site on Instagram. 

'It’s something we would do if the cameras weren’t rolling. A lot of times we don’t even film. It’s a lot of fun.'

—Jesus Carrasco

Visitors frequenting the sites include fans of all ages and pet product manufacturers looking to benefit from the novel footage. A line of merchandise that includes helmets custom designed by Carrasco is currently in the works.

Never did Carrasco imagine his novelty videos would generate such intense interest among viewers. Answering the barrage of questions posed daily on his two sites has become an arduous and time-consuming task. “I’m not really sure how I feel about it,” he said. “Obviously, we’re grateful and excited, I just never thought I would be a dog influencer.”

Carrasco said that commenters often ask how they can get started with motorcycle rides for their dogs. “You have to listen to what your dog is telling you,” he said. “If he’s scared or skittish, obviously that’s not going to be something your pet is going to be comfortable doing. If they do seem to enjoy it, make sure you get a comfortable bag and protect their eyes with a helmet or goggles.”

Modifying the novelty helmets to fit over the dog’s noses took more than a dash of trial and error to accomplish, Carrasco said. The finished products worn by the dogs today required several prototypes to perfect. “A chin strap keeps their noses from coming up,” he said. “At first, I used elastic from an old pair of underwear and hot-glued things together, putting stuffing in and drilling air holes. Later I used different elastics from craft stores and redid them.”

While most comments left on the two social media sites are positive, Carrasco concedes there are visitors who regard the idea of dogs riding shotgun as pure exploitation and cruelty. He dismisses such accusations as outright rubbish. “Honestly, I can’t leave them at home anymore,” he said. “As soon as they see me grabbing my motorcycle helmet or their motorcycle bag, they are excited to go. People ask, ’Why would you do this?’ I don’t force them. They just took to it. I was surprised they weren’t afraid of the motorcycle noise. They’re pretty fearless little animals.” 

Of the two, Momma proved the more receptive passenger from the get-go, he said. With Butters No. 2, that matter of trust seemed to take a bit longer to establish. “Momma was always the more outgoing dog,” Carrasco said. “Butters (No. 2) was skittish going in the car at first, but took to the motorcycle with no convincing. Now he’s probably more excited to go on the motorcycle than Momma.”

The riding pair continues to generate smiles and laughter from strangers and familiar faces alike as they make their usual rounds about town to pubs, restaurants, stores, Sedgwick County Park lakes and other destinations. And while such cheerful responses are certainly welcome, Carrasco said they have little to do with why he includes the dogs on rides whenever possible.

“It’s something we would do if the cameras weren’t rolling,” he said. “A lot of times we don’t even film. It’s a lot of fun. That love instinct your pets give you is hard to find. You try to spend as much time with them as possible. This is just a next step for us to spend time together.”