I’ve been so excited about today’s big announcement that I started drafting it in my brains days and days ago. Today, we launch our big holiday fundraiser and giveaway!

Yesterday, we told you all about a stellar non-profit in Austin that provides training scholarship to dogs who need help but whose people can’t afford top-notch training.

You can read all about the Schrodi Fund — and why me and my mama love it so — here. But in short, the Schrodi Fund’s mission, through these scholarships, is to:

-Improve the relationship between owners and their dogs through education.

-Increase quality of life for all dogs, including those with behavior problems.

-Decrease the number of dogs euthanized or relinquished to shelters and rescues for manageable behavior issues.

-Improve the public image of all dogs. More well-behaved dogs in public means less bias against dogs, owners, and certain breeds.

Doesn’t it make you feel all twinkly inside?

Speaking of twinkly, the holiday season is upon us. So to give all our friends the opportunity to participate in their two favorite holiday pastimes (1. helping those who have less; and 2. giving/getting totally rad gifts), we’ve put together a little fundraiser/lottery for the Schrodi Fund. Here’s how it’s gonna work!

My brother Doodlebug and I have asked our very favorite creative pet-loving folks to donate a few goodies for a Holiday Gift Package. Let me tell you: each of the goodies is worth getting excited about on its own, but all together, they really make me go “WOW!” I’ve never seen a prize package so fantastical! Here’s how you earn a chance to win:

• For every $10 donation, you are eligible for one lottery ticket for the prize package.
• Multiples of $10 receive that many tickets — so a $100 donation would earn 10 chances to win.
• The winner will be drawn at random by my mama’s glowing rectangle on Saturday, December 8, and announced early the following week.
• If you win, you win the whole prize pack, not an individual item.
• Each of the items would make a GREAT holiday gift for a pet lover in your life, but you are absolutely required entitled to keep some — or all — of the prizes for yourself, naturally!
• Donations are tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt in the mail. So you can feel quadruple-good about yourself for participating!
• To donate, click here, select Schrodi Training Program from the drop-down list for “Program Designation,” and enter (or at least include) the word LOTTERY in the “Dedication” field (so we know you want to play).
• Share with your friends, so they can play too!

Now, on to the really fun part. The prizes! If you win our lottery, your holiday shopping woes are over, because here’s what you get!

1. A one-of-a-kind, handmade, gorgeous, warm sweater from Tiennot Sweaters. You can select the size you want and choose from a selection of colors. Just look how devastatingly handsome I look in my sweaters:

2. Your choice of sturdy, lovely, handmade martingale collar from Sirius Republic, with a matching bowtie or flower — your choice! Our friend Jen is such a genius of creativity and stitchery, she keeps coming up with new and new and new patterns and ideas. Here are my brother and me checking out some merchandise wearing our very own Sirius collars and bowties. But the collars we were looking at are only like one squillionth of the choices you’ll have if you win! Oh, and then below that is my silly ex-foster sister Dora the Explorer, modeling another lovely Sirius collar and a matching flower. Pretty neat, right?

3.  This one is gonna look really great with your favorite dog’s new collar: a custom ID tag from Austin’s very own Sew Olive! Our pal Heidi makes these gems by hand, and there are as many varieties as there are dog personalities. We just love ’em, and you will too!

4. And finally, last but certainly not least, everybody’s most coveted pet-related gift: a hand-painted custom mini pet portrait from the Pet Shop!  My brother and I think this one would make an especially awesome gift for your most favoritest person on the planet. Who wouldn’t go totally nuts for one of these beautiful custom portraits? Since the holidays are so close, you’ll receive a beautifully packaged gift certificate for an original, custom portrait. Here is my favorite painting of Kim’s — of my brother the Bug — and also one of a cat, just so you remember that she’s not only about us dogs. She has even done rabbits, guinea pigs, and regular pigs! Amazing? Definitely.

The prizes alone are enough to make you want to buy lottery tickets, right?

Remember, for every $10 you donate, you get one ticket for the contest. The more tickets you buy, the better your chances of winning. But more importantly, every dollar you donate will help a dog develop the skills it needs to stay happily and safely in its home. And that’s something to cheer about.

Please donate now! Click here, select Schrodi Training Program from the drop-down list for “Program Designation,” and enter (or at least include) the word LOTTERY in the “Dedication” field.

The contest ends Friday, December 7!