Jeez Louise, it’s been hard to keep the cat in the bag this whole past day (mostly because I LOVE to eat chase cats, but also because I HATE keeping secrets)! We got our Secret Santa gift in the mail on Wednesday, but mama wouldn’t let me write about it until today. Sheesh!

What’s that? You wonder what Secret Santa we’re talking about? Well. I will tell you. Last year we were invited to participate in a “Pittie Posse Secret Santa” with some other dog bloggers who also have dogs that look like handsome devil me and my silly Doodlebug of a brother. There were only a few bloggers playing last year, but this year has grown — there are TEN dogger bloggers playing this year!

So yesterday you saw me and my ‘Bug sniffing our package all over, trying to figure out what was inside. You must be dying of curiosity just like we were! Here’s our big reveal:

Our Secret Santa was Emily from Our Waldo Bungie. Lucky us, because she is also the creative mastermind behind Tiennot Knits — those adorable custom dog sweaters you’ve seen floating around the interwebs!

I already got to dogmodel those gorgeous sweaters with my former foster sisters Stevie Wonder and Little Zee, so this time the stakes were raised even further — handknit bowties! Don’t we look so dapper in them?

Just look how the colors and knits bring out my grumpy expression and Doodlebug’s dopey one:

These bowties are the real deal. The ‘Bug and I put them on, and even when I got silly and wore mine on my head like a present bow, we felt like total hipsters. Check out this craftsmanship.

They even smell delightful!

I do believe we will be wearing these dapper duds to Christmas dinner this year!

And as though that were not enough, Miss Emily got me another present because I’m her favorite internet celebrity. Check out this beautiful soft pillow! At first I was confused because I thought Miss Emily was calling me an old soul (who, grumpy ol’ me??), but then I realized: it is the pillow that has an old soul! I don’t know what that means, exactly, but it sure is squooshy and comfy to nap with!

Want to check out the other Secret Santa participants and what they got from their gifters? Here’s a complete list!

Last year, we were invited to participate in a blogger gift exchange that included a number of pit bull dog blogs. This year, we were invited again! The group was cleverly titled the Pittie Posse Gift Exchange. Cute, right?

Last year, Chick and his then-foster sister Dora the Explorer got a whole bunch of yummy dog cookies and this cute Santa hat:

This year’s big reveal is tomorrow (special for Chix-A-Lot Friday, we are so lucky!!), but we got our package in the mail already. Just look how excited the boys are to see what’s inside!

Chick and the ‘Bug dropping in here to give you the final scoop on our wonderful, spectacular, sequiny, jazz-filled, pleasant-smelling, frosting-covered fundraiser for the Schrodi Fund!

About a week and a half ago, we humbly asked you to consider spending a few of your holiday pocketbook contents on a cause that’s very important to us: The Schrodi Fund. The Schrodi Fund provides Austin area dog people with the opportunity to access top-notch private and group dog training regardless of their financial circumstances. Schrodi has helped almost a hundred families this year find help for their dog problems (it turns out some of them have dogs even crazier than the two of us!), and promises to help even more next year — thanks to you.

Once again, the generosity of friends and strangers has knocked us all off our feets. In just one week, you helped us boys raise 2,615 green papers for the fund! We Chickerdoodles have never seen so many green papers before in our whole lives (Bug: only partially because every time mama lets me sniff one of her green papers, I try to put it in my mouths). It sure sounds like a lot!

To give you all another good incentivation to participate, we asked some of our very talented artist friends to donate some goodies for a “prize pack” to be given to a lottery winner — everyone who donates was eligible to play). From the number of green papers you raised for us, it is clear that the REAL winner is the Schrodi Fund, but there is another winner too: the very lucky Ms. B from Tampa, FL! We wonder if she’ll give any of her prizes to her famous dog (who also blogs), Tucker?

Congrats Ms. B, we can’t wait to see what you do with your fantabulous prize pack!

Love, Chick & the ‘Bug

***Quick update from our sponsors on the Schrodi Memorial Training Fund lottery and fundraiser: A big thanks to all who have participated already. If you donated but forgot to include the key word LOTTERY in the “dedication” field, please leave a comment on this post so we can be sure to count you! Those who haven’t participated, you have until midnight Central time tonight to get your donations in and still be eligible for the huge drawing to win our awesome dog lovers’ prize pack! More info on the Schrodi Fund is here, and more info on the lottery, rules, and sweet prize pack is here. 

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).***

Hello friends, and happy Friday! Let’s play a little game here called “Where in the World is that Handsome Devil Chick?” Here’s how you play. I show you a picture, and you try to figure out where I am in it.

Ready? Go:

Yup, just as I suspected — you couldn’t find me, right? I know, I am so hard to see! Ok, well just to make it easier for you, here’s a different angle. Surely you can find me in this one:

So now that we have solved the Great Mystery of Where in the World is that Handsome Devil Chick, we can move on to another important question: why in the world did my silly brother Doodlebug lay on top of me like that?

Unfortunately, I do not know the answer, the ‘Bug would not tell. I’ve come up with some possible interpretations and would be interested to hear your own — maybe together we can solve this mystery?

Possibility #1: Doodlebug was worried that I was going to run away in my deep sunny slumber, so he crashed down and caught me to make sure I stayed right where I was.

Possibility #2: The ‘Bug thought he could benefit from some lower back support and knew I’d make the perfect pillow to cradle his lumbar region.

Possibility #3:  Even though it was a balmy 77 degrees yesterday (and even warmer in the sunshines), Doodlebug felt a little nip in the air and wanted to snuggle up as close to me as possible. Unsatisfied with a simple back-to-back snuggle or a more traditional spooning, he thought he’d try a new — more avant garde — cuddle-style.

But whatever the real reason, don’t my ‘Bug look proud?

One of Doodlebug’s many shining qualities is how very tolerant he is. He politely and patiently tolerates all kinds of handling and touching. He  allows himself to be dressed in scarves, bowties, sweaters, and once even a tutu. He has no biases about people, whether it be age, color, size, or dress.

But one thing that really ticks him off? Yarn. Specifically, the itchy, twitchy sensation when a piece of yarn happens to fall upon his side while he’s napping through a craft project. Poor Bug.

We’re halfway through with our holiday lottery / fundraiser for the Schrodi Memorial Training Fund. A HUGE thank you to all of those who have already donated and entered our lottery — we have already raised enough for more than 20 families to come in for a behavioral evaluation and get their relationship with their beloved “problem child” moving in a productive, positive direction. Wow!

The big holiday event wraps up Friday! That means that you still have a few days to donate and be entered into our lottery for an amazing dog-lovers’ prize pack, including a custom mini pet painting from the Pet Shop, a collar and bow tie or flower from Sirius Republic, an ID tag from Sew Olive, and a hand-knit dog sweater from Tiennot Sweaters. For details about our spectacular fundraiser, click here. To donate, click here, select “Schrodi Training Fund” from the dropdown, and be sure to include the word LOTTERY in the “Dedication” field.

The at-risk dogs of Austin thank you!