Q. What's Chicken Soup for the Soul? A. Every Pet Ever #MyPetIsMyHero

Get good pictures, they said. Show the pet actually eating the food, they said.
Well, this is Maddox and he ate the food (beef stew), OK? He ate it all before I could get the shot.
As far as I'm concerned, the cat food review portion of this blog post is finished.
I mean, what more could I say that Maddox's tongue hasn't already?
Fine. I'll say a few more things about the food. And then I'm changing the subject to hero pets. Don't go anywhere.

Almost five years ago to this day, on a snowy January evening, with two bright eyed and bushy tailed (literally) barely one-year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgis, and a blog that was less than a month old, I sat down at my desk and wrote a blog post titled "Chicken Soup for the Dog Mom's Soul." It was a recipe for the pot of homemade chicken soup I'd made for the humans' dinner that night. (Yes, a recipe. I predicted it would be my last, and I was right. But that's not the point.) What all five of the people who read the post didn't know was that the title was no accident. (And, frankly, it had nothing to do with the popular book series.) I used that title because I'd just fed the dogs a dish each of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (the name has been simplified since then to Chicken Soup for the Soul® Brand Pet Food) and I was so pleased with myself (for feeding them a food that felt good to MY soul), that I wanted to pay the feeling forward.

They ate like this at every meal from puppies. I have no idea why, nor do I remember when they decided it was easier to stand. 

I think you'll agree: there's almost no better feeling in the world than (after doing tons of research on a million different pet foods, and finding one that doesn't break the budget) feeding one's pet a natural, USA-made wholesome food (with ingredients that sound delicious enough for a human to eat, like real meats, fruits, vegetables and herbs) that they love as much as they thrive on.

What I REALLY wanted to say - those five years ago - was that I'd finally found a dog food that was on par with how crazy I was about my precious dogs. (I didn't want to start a pet food debate, though, so I settled for a chicken soup recipe. The difference now is that I have five years of experience and well, this isn't a debate blog any more than it is a recipe blog.☺)

I should also mention that about a year after I started feeding Chicken Soup food to the dogs, I put all the cats on it too. Though for the last couple years, all my pets have been on a rotation diet, Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food is still very much a part of it, and I can't wait to try the brand new grain free varieties (for both dogs and cats)! (Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post, where I talk about the new grain-free and limited ingredient varieties a bit more.)

Now, for all those Hero Pets...

I need to tell you I had a bit of trouble at first with this portion of the exercise (telling you about the Chicken Soup for the Soul "Show Us Your Hero" (pet) contest that could land you a spot on the brand's Hidden Heroes show during the CBS Saturday morning lineup, or in an upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul book). It was the definition of "hero" (a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. dictionary.com) that tripped me up. According to that definition, only a select few pets - who found themselves in (usually) extreme situations, requiring animal heroics - would qualify as heroes. But, even more fundamentally, we're talking pets, not people. How does one define heroics when it comes to companion animals (who lack the ability to choose)?

Then I looked at the definition of "pet" (any domesticated or tamed animal that is kept as a companion and cared for affectionately. dictionary.com).

And there it was. A PET is an animal kept as a companion (vs. captive) and "cared for affectionately." Cared for affectionately - by humans. Affectionately. Now, knowing that we humans don't typically go around caring affectionately for just anyone, what does that tell you about pets? (Think hard. Not a trick question.)

OK, time's up. IT TELLS YOU (and me) THAT PETS ARE FLIPPING AWESOME! ALL OF THEM!

And you know what? Who cares about the human definition for "hero," ALL pets are heroes, because they don't know anything but awesomeness! They don't choose to be, they just are!

So, what's YOUR hero pet's unique story (remember, every moment matters)? What makes you want to care for him or her affectionately?

Tell (or show in a video) it to Chicken Soup for the Soul (and/or in comments, if you feel like it; we all LOVE a pet hero story)!

Is your pet your hero? Share your story or video with us and you and your furry pal could be on Chicken Soup for the Soul's @cbshiddenheroes! Get the link in our profile for all the details! #MyPetIsMyHero #pets #petsofinstagram #chickensouppets

A photo posted by Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet (@chickensouppets) on Jan 12, 2016 at 11:20am PST

For the latest news, deals and of course, Chicken Soup for the Soul-warming pet stories, follow the brand on social media:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Want your hero pet to try Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food? Find the nearest store here. Also available at major online retailers.

Want a chicken soup recipe? ☺

Bonus! Check out all these canine service animal heroes, whose humans posted their photos to my Facebook page!

The perfect Cardigan lady pictured here (attending to her little human friend) is Princess Voodoo Estrella Birdsong, but...
Posted by The Chronicles of Cardigan on Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Included is 10-year-old Oreo the Cardigan Welsh Corgi (pictured below), whose human mom and dad, Beth and Bill Cole, take him to help local fourth graders (he's a "Ruff Reader") with HABIT (Human Animal Bond in Tennessee), an outreach program of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. According to Ruth Sapp, the coordinator of the program where he volunteers, Oreo "made his first therapy visit on 4/21/2011 at Halls Elementary School in Knoxville, TN."

The kicker? Oreo, who suffers from PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy), is blind! The first blind dog to serve in the program. Now if that isn't a testament to the awesomeness of pets, I don't know what is! (And, might I add, a testament to the awesomeness of Oreo's human mom and dad!)

Oreo, a hero to fourth graders in Knoxville, TN!

Psst! You still here? Cool! Maddox has another face for you...

He reeeeeealy likes the stuff, OK?! The goober makes me LAUGH! (Another hero!)☺

8 People Types Who Should Read 'All Dogs Go to Kevin' - Book Review + Giveaway!

I received a Digital Galley advance copy of this book from the publisher for my "reviewing convenience." And I was like, "Hot dang!" Because I've been reading Dr. V's blog, Pawcurious, for years, and I would've read the book anyway.*  I would not, however, have reviewed the book if I had not thought y'all should read it too. (Or, at the very least, gift it to someone who fits one or more of the people types in this review, doggone it.) And, while I'm being honest, there are affiliate links below. Your purchase will not only support the author, but also my high-end coffee pets' high-end treat habits. On behalf of all of us, thank you.☺

* In fact, she had me in 2012, when she published the dog** parody of Poe's "The Raven." I'll have you know, I am still finding (under layers of dusty dog hair) dried up remnants of my blown mind in the crevices around my computer desk.

** The dog in the Poe parody is named Kekoa, an endearing black lab rescue, who also has a prominent role in the book.

All Dogs Go to Kevin: Everything Three Dogs Taught Me (That I Didn't Learn in Veterinary School)

by Dr. Jessica Vogelsang

From the publisher: "ALL DOGS GO TO KEVIN is a humorous and touching memoir that will appeal to anyone who has loved an animal or lost hours in James Herroit's classic veterinary stories."

I wouldn't know about the James Herroit thing; I've not lost even a minute in his stories (simply because they've never before crossed my path to read). But I will say this: if Herroit's writing is anything like Dr. Vogelsang's, I'd be smart to click over to the Kindle store as soon as this review is published!

My summary of ALL DOGS GO TO KEVIN: A memoir (meaning real-life, first-person life story/non-fiction) about a self-described nerdy female human who discovers - among other things - she's an animal person (after getting a dog as a kid), grows up, eventually gets married, goes to vet school, has some kids, and gets a job. Oh, and she gets a couple other dogs and a cat along the way, and learns a bunch of poignant lessons (from her dogs) about the life-altering love of animals. (Bam!)

Oh, and *full disclosure* some pets die. And maybe a person. And there are some really gross scenes in a morgue (unless you're a pathologist, and enjoy morgues. Speaking of morgues, Dr. V, what the heck was in that bag?! No, really, I need to know).

Wait a second.

What kind of lame review is this, anyway? I'm trying to convince you to READ this book, right?!

Oh. Kay.

So, it's really funny (I awkwardly cackled and snorted a few times at my neighborhood pool). And I rushed to tell my husband a few of the crazy vet clinic stories.

I also sobbed (in between snort fests at the neighborhood pool), but not because anyone died (I misted a little when those happened). I sobbed because *I* (from about age 12) wanted to go to vet school, too - was accepted and enrolled in a pre-veterinary track at N.C. State University, even. But at the last possible minute - and as a complete surprise - I received an appointment to attend a military academy (100% free education), which started me on a life trajectory as far from veterinary medicine as I could imagine.*** My point being, parts of the book were emotionally hard on me. But I'm better for it, you know? A little ugly cry (while submerged in the 5-ft section of one's pool) can be incredibly cathartic. Also, shedding tears underwater is odd (like my face was all squished up and stuff, but I couldn't feel anything coming out of my eyes. Never mind☺).

*** Until five years ago, when I acquired two corgis, and installed a revolving door on my house for abandoned and misfit cats. Then those events serendipitously necessitated my beginning this blog, with which I have realized my previously repressed dream of being an animal-related comedy writer.

Random, subliminal message meme.

OK, people. Whether you need further persuasion or you're like me, and have a tendency to skim straight to the bullets in blog posts, you're in luck: take a look at this list and see if you (or someone you know well enough to pass a book to) fits any of these types. If yes, then you should probably go ahead and read the book.

People Types Who Should Read "All Dogs Go to Kevin":

• Ladies who work in jobs that require occasional bending, stooping and lifting of large, often squirmy, items. 
• People who have had to pick up, wipe/scrub off, smell or look at poop which is not their own.
• Those who've had (or plan to have) babies and dogs at the same time.
• Crossword puzzle and Scrabble fans (you're gonna learn some new words****).
• People who've ever taken a pet to the vet.
• People who've ever been teased.
• Busy people who only have a couple hours a day, if that, to read a book (this one is a page-turner).
• Anyone who's ever wondered about the presence of pets in the hereafter. 

**** Including (unless you already know it) "sonorous." (Note: If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you might recall I once denounced the word and refused to speak it aloud in public. Well, as of today, I retract that statement. HOWEVER, I still strongly recommend never using it as your dog's name.)

So, did you recognize yourself (or anyone else) in that list??

Well, hold on a minute! Before you run off to Amazon, the publisher is giving away a hardcover book to one of my readers (who's based in the US or Canada)! Yay!

To enter, LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the name and breed/species of your first (cherished) pet! (Mine was my Siamese cat, Thomas, whom I got when I was in kindergarten.) Once you do, click the Rafflecopter widget (below) and record your entry (I'll use the Rafflecopter to randomly select the winner). One entry per person, please!

Good luck!
(I'll announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter, the morning after the contest closes.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Got Some Ice Cream; You Cannot Have Some...Unless You Win It; I Hope You Win It!

Preface: So Purina was all, "It's summer and we're starting this Frosty Paws (doggie ice cream) travel promotion, and we'd like to send you a bunch of cool (free) stuff (Frosty Paws coupons and travel gear), to keep for yourself and to give away on your blog..." And I was like, "ICE CREAM!!!! ICE CREEEEEAM!!!! (I project on the dogs sometimes)" Then Jon Farleigh and Dewi were all, "MoooOOm! The Frosty Paws Man is coming!!! The Frosty Paws Man is comiiiinng!!**" Yep, that about sums it up. (smile)

So, I'm giving away FOUR (4)* of these Purina Frosty Paws (brand frozen dog treat) Summer Travel Packs (approx. retail value $64.99 ea.):

Each travel pack includes:

<> A large, 5-pocket, insulated (with a thick white, plastic lining) backpack

<> A (BPA-free) stainless steel (dog) water bottle (There's a steel ball-bearing in the neck of the bottle, so when it's tilted toward your dog's mouth, the water trickles out only when he licks it.)

<> A freezable (it's got gel in between the outer layers) chilled food container

<> A (generously sized nylon) collapsible food bowl (zips up into the shape of a taco)

<> One roll of poop bags, with dispenser, and

<> A coupon for a FREE box of (Original or Peanut Butter) Frosty Paws (available in your grocer's ice cream or pet food aisle - unless you don't live in he U.S., in which case, I am terribly sorry).

And just to let you know, Jon Farleigh and Dewi have indulged in the occasional Frosty Paws treat (before Purina ever laid eyes on this blog). Here are the (original flavor) ingredients:

This helps, too:

Between you and me, I can think of much worse things for them to have as a snack. ahem.

Though (if I'm being honest), it wouldn't matter whether Frosty Paws contained coconut oil and whey or 100% organic, all-natural (with milk-from-pet-cows-named-Bessie) plain Greek yogurt and extra virgin olive oil from the finest groves in Italy...

If Jon Farleigh and Dewi wouldn't eat it.

That said, here is my (3-part) 18-second video review (tip: check your volume):

Then this...

Then this...

I'm not sure they could be any more convincing. ;-)

By the way, those videos were taken with my iPhone, using Twitter's Vine app, which only supports 6-second video loops. If you're on Twitter and you like taking video with your iPhone or Android device, I highly recommend Vine. You can download it HERE (or search for Vine in your app store). Oh, and if you get on Vine, please follow us (@Elizabeth K aka ChroniclesCardi)! :-)

So, who wants one of those cool travel packs?! 

To enter: Simply follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below (which will straight away inform you to make a comment on the blog, stating your favorite ice cream flavor; mine is peanut butter and chocolate).  

Your comment will earn you three (3) entries into the random drawing (which Rafflecopter will keep track of for me, so PLEASE make sure you click the widget (down arrow button) BEFORE leaving your comment).

If you want more than three (3) entries into the drawing, just follow the Rafflecopter's direction, and you can earn up to 10 more! It's really easy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway ends at midnight (ET) on Saturday, July 6, and I'll announce the four (4) winners on Sunday, July 7, on Facebook and Twitter. I will also send winners an email (to the address you provide in the Rafflecopter). 

Because Frosty Paws treats are only sold in the U.S., the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. 

Good luck!

*Purina sent me five (5) travel packs and told me to keep one for Jon Farleigh and Dewi. Thank dog, otherwise, the Frosty Paws Man would be in very deep doo-doo.

** FYI: To ensure no one sues me for intellectual property rights infringement, I must give credit to Eddie Murphy (aka "Donkey," to the younger set) for inspiring the title (and parts of the preface) of this post. If you have no idea what I'm referring to, and have a burning desire to learn more, I suggest you perform a Google search for "Eddie Murphy + ice cream." And if/when you find what you're looking for, you'll understand why this paragraph is so cryptic. :-) 

What If LOL Cats Were LOL Cicadas?

Like, for example, this...

unaltered image: Gerry Broome/AP via NPR.org
caption: mine

It could work, no? ;)

OK, maybe not. But US East Coast-ers, just a tip: they'll be here at any moment, so you have three choices 1) run for your lives (in a westward-ly direction) 2) hide in your homes for the next two (or so) months 3) get the dang bug some Visine before it dies, already!

Oh, and...

Cicada Mania

And now is the part where I give you something warm, fuzzy and hilarious with which to (virtually) scrub the previous images from your traumatized retinas!

For instance, this...

Oh, wait! That's Maddox's stink eye. My bad.

OK, this...

Muah

So, frankly, I don't know what Maddox is doing up there; just like I don't know what Dewi's doing down here...

(But Dewi's a dog, and I digress.)

I do know, however, that Bertie (as pictured below) -- in addition to being warm, fuzzy and funny -- has a nurturing personality. And, how do I know this?

Because not a day goes by (by golly) that he doesn't make sure his pet Canada Goose (aka Goosie) gets at least one good meal and a drink of/swim in the water!

OK, swim, little guy; I'm waaaay-ting.

Time's up, Goosie! Food's gettin' stale!

nomnom...MindifIjoinya?...nomnom

So, have you forgotten about those cicadas yet (now that I've reminded you about them)? (sorry)

Well, that's okay, because I wanted you to be good and grossed out before I told you about the 1,000+ other warm, fuzzy and HILARIOUS cats over at Petfinder's

The Funniest Cat Contest!

Why? Because you need to look at more funny cats!
(to exponentially increase your happiness quotient!)

Like Kahlua, here...
(Hint: Click photos to see the kitties' details on Petfinder.)

And this guy named Spice...

(Seriously, people, I've already browsed through hundreds of funny kitties over at Petfinder, because... I couldn't tear myself away!)

So, have you got a funny cat of your own? (All cats are capable of being funny, btw; I should know.)

Then enter him/her in the contest (through May 21, 2013) and you could win a $250 gift card (for yourself) and $4,500 for your favorite Petfinder adoption group!

Thinking of adding a cat to your family? 

Oh, goody! There are plenty just waiting for you to take them home!



LOL cicada, LOL cicada, LOL cicada...
Go look at the funny kitties on Petfinder already! sheesh!

You Should See Me in My Birthday Suit

Caution! By order of the CDC (Committee for Dog[blog] Cleanliness), all readers must use this virtual can of lavender scented Comet to scrub their minds of any "gutter" scum before proceeding. 

Oh, hai, y'all! How'd you like that title, huh?

I wrote it...because today is MY 3rd BIRTHDAY!

Oh, and the mom-peep made me add that warning up there. Something about a crack-down on the spread of soiled minds brain dirt. Whatev.

So anyway, like I was saying, today's my birthday and like the title says, you really should get a'load of me in my birthday suit. And boy, do I have a surprise for you!

Close your eyes!

Now, open 'em!

Ta da!

That's my sweet mama Elowyn, my four sibs and ME - Dewi (on the far right) - at the dairy bar on February 14, 2010. We were all in our birthday suits, dude!

Too bad my face is stuffed in a milkshake, though. I kinda wanted you to see it...

Oh, wait! Here! Look at this one...

Can you tell which one is me?! Hint: HellOOooo, I'm right here in front! Duh!

Okay, back to the subject of birthday suits. Mom-peep said that a birthday suit doesn't have to be limited to the suit you had on when you actually got born. Which is lucky for me, because that teeny tiny old suit went up the vacuum a long time ago. 

So yeah, and the mom-peep decided it would be fun to dress me and JF up in party hats and make us sit in the back of her car so she could take our pictures for this blog post (which I am writing, by the way) just because she doesn't have the time to make us do our proper sits and stays. Pfft.)

Well, here is what I think of the whole car imprisonment photo shoot.

Wait, I think a treat fell down in this crack.

I'm pretty sure this is not a happy face.

Can I get out of the car now?

(P.S. No, we did NOT get to go for a ride. But the party later, when the peeps were home, where they sang to me and gave me and JF some doggie carrot cake with pink icing, rocked, dude!) 

And one last thing, before I go: 

CONGRATULATIONS, MERINDA!

You won the photo caption challenge!

I could hear mom-peep giggling (even over Jon Farleigh's snoring) when she opened up your comment. Said she could totally picture me saying that. As if. 

What's the big deal about how I'm sitting, anyway? I just don't get you peeps.

Okay, I think I'm done. Bye, y'all! Thanks for looking at my birthday suits!

Happy birthday to my brother, Kirby, and my three sisters, Anwen, Jacklyn and Penny!

*****

A note from the editor:

Congratulations, Merinda (of The Brews Brothers blog)! Your caption cracked me up! And as promised, I'll be posting it (with credit) all over social media (within the next 24 hours)!

But mostly, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who played along! I enjoyed reading every single one of your entries and I think you are all awesome great sports!

In honor of Dewi and his littermates' birthday, and thanks to you all, CorgiAid is getting $40 to help with their rescue efforts. 

Well played! :-)

5 Reasons Why (I think) 95% of the People Didn't Caption My Dog's Photo

Thanks to Laurie Eno at The Daily Corgi, whom I persuaded* (with no less than NINE** adorable photos of Jon Farleigh and Dewi driving sitting in the front seat of my car) to add the link to my "out-of-the-ordinary" caption challenge (to benefit CorgiAid) to her Facebook fan page (with somewhere near a trillion likes)... 

[pauses to inhale]

...Dewi's photo-captioning post from three days ago is now the 6th most viewed post I've ever published.

So therefore, it's only natural that I've been fretting mulling over the possible reasons why only five percent of those who paid Dewi's photo a visit actually submitted a caption!

I'm sorry; have we met?
...because you left without giving me something ridiculous to say!

And now - mostly to make myself feel better - I'd like to offer just five of the several possible reasons why (I can't help but think) so many of you left...without so much as a peep!:

1. Your "commenting" hand has inexplicably fallen off. (ouch)
   
2. You are a professional dog-photo-captioner and didn't want to "show up" the nice people whose captions could never be as awesome as yours.
   
3. You were going to leave a caption, but then you thought to yourself, "If that comment-grubbing hussy really wanted to make a donation to dog rescue, why didn't she just do it, without dragging her poor derpy dog and me into it?!"
   (To which I'd say, "That wouldn't have been nearly as much fun, you silly!")
   
4. You accidentally wound up on my blog after searching for "rainbow clip art."
   
5. Your dog ate your comment. 

Might one of these pertain to your experience? Think I'm on the right track, here?? ;-)

THERE IS GOOD NEWS, THOUGH!

Even with the above-mentioned commenting "issues," I've still received lots of captions and am over halfway to my donation goal of $50! Yay!

WANT TO JOIN THE FUN AND HELP ME REACH MY GOAL?

Great! You still have through this Friday, February 8, to leave a caption, OVER HERE, please!

THANKS, y'all!

* Actually, it wasn't like that at all. Laurie is much too professional and on the up-and-up to succumb to  "persuasion" with adorable photos of corgis in cars. 

** Not all nine of the photos have been published to The Daily Corgi or its social media appendages. Only two of them have (so far) - HERE and HERE.

Look! Bonus photos of Jon Farleigh and Dewi sharing a doggie "cupcake" for Jon's 3rd birthday!

Not Your Ordinary Photo Captioning Challenge (to Benefit Dog Rescue)!

So I have this photo of Dewi:

Yeah, I know...

[crinkles nose and gestures running feathered fingers through Dewi's butt-cheek fur (aka pants)]

SQUEEE!!!

Okay, so yeah, I have this photo and I don't think there's ever been another (of Dewi) that I've wanted to caption so badly. :-)

And that is why I've decided TO ASK YOU (my fine, creative, generous, kind, compliant...) READERS to caption it for me!

BUT! As the title of this post suggests, I'm looking for captions that aren't exactly "ordinary" (or obvious). Obvious being, for example, "Belly rub, please?" or "Hey, ya want summa this?"
Make sense? 

I don't care how "out there" these captions are; in fact, the more "out there" the merrier. This is going to be fun!

AND THE BEST PART? 

FOR EVERY CAPTION RECEIVED
(up to 75, through 11:59 p.m. ET on 2/8/13), 
I WILL MAKE A DONATION TO
a fantastic dog rescue organization,CORGI AID*!
($1.00 for each caption up to 25, and $0.50 for each caption from 26 through 75, up to $50.00 max.)

This is Lucky, an owner-surrendered diabetic, but otherwise wonderful, 8-year-old corgi boy, and CorgiAid's most recent  beneficiary. His rescue story is here.

Think you can lend a silly caption to help Lucky (and his corgi/corgi mix brothers and sisters in rescue) out?

Oh, but wait, there's more!

After all the captions are in, I'm (somehow) going to pick my favorite, announce the human commenter behind it, edit the photo with the caption, and then share it all over the virtual earth (with proper credit, of course)! Think of the bragging rights!
(Note: My virtual "earth" might not be as large as some others', but it's plenty big enough for Lucky.)

So, as a recap:

<> Submit your caption of Dewi's photo in the comments BELOW (not on Facebook or Twitter, please!)

<> Comments will close after Friday, February 8.

<> I will post the final captioned photo (along with an announcement of the submitter - by whatever ID your comment leads me to) on Tuesday, February 12 (which also happens to be Dewi's 3rd birthday). Yay!

<> Needy homeless corgis and corgi mixes - by way of CorgiAid - are going to get some financial assistance!

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

NOW GO FORTH AND CAPTION DEWI!


* CorgiAid's mission statement (from their Home page):

CorgiAid exists to provide a framework for support of rescue efforts for Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh corgis and corgi mixes, for the enhancement of animal welfare and the betterment of mankind.

Random Act of Kindness: Pick-out-something-from Etsy Iveaway-gay!

Speak Pig Latin, do you? ;) (Ok, fine. Translation: iveaway-gay = giveaway ;)

Before I get down to business - with rules and stuff - I need to confess a couple things (for my own inner peace):

1. I don't like hosting giveaways on this blog. It feels awkward, probably because by design, giveaways are not funny (especially when one doesn't win), and therefore, don't fit in with the whole kooky theme I've got going on here. That and they're potentially humiliating. As in what if NO ONE ENTERS?! Then what? Isn't it basically just confirmation (in front of all 7 of one's loyal readers, who were, incidentally, too embarrassed to enter, plus the rest of the free world) that all those page hits were really just people Googling for "butt jokes" or photos of Aquasaurs (for example)? Can you imagine the horror?! ;)

2. I have been shamelessly entering a bunch of giveaways over here (hint: the blog name rhymes with "The Why-oneer Flummon"). And I really hope I win something!

Thanks for listening.

So, here I am. Randomly hosting a random (and potentially embarrassing*) $25 Etsy gift card giveaway - because I just feel like it!

Maddox's collar and tag = awesome Etsy finds!

Also, because every time I see Maddox in his handmade sock monkey collar and tag (ordered from Etsy, and blogged about here), I bust out in a smile all over my face and feel like giving something away!

Rawr.

The rules are easy: Simply leave a comment (one per person, please) stating something you are good at hand-making!

(And please don't tell me "nothing," because I know good and well that you can at least spread peanut butter between two slices of white bread!)

On Saturday (12/15) morning, I will select one (1) winner from the comments (using a random number generator) and make an announcement on Facebook and Twitter (hint: you will need to go to one of those two places to see if you've won).

Good luck!

Necessary fine print:

• If you are a spammer, I will find your comment, pan fry it and then feed it to my friend, Mr. D. Lete Button.
• This contest is open worldwide, however, Etsy gift cards are only accepted at U.S.-based sellers who accept credit cards as payment. (Both sellers I mentioned above, for example, meet the criteria.) You are responsible for ensuring the seller ships to your country of residence.
• The winner will receive one (1) $25 Etsy gift card, sent electronically (via email) directly from Etsy. You may provide your e-mail address when claiming your prize.
• This random giveaway is sponsored by The Chronicles of Cardigan. Etsy doesn't know me from a hole in the wall!

* Please enter the contest, or I'll have to blame poor Maddox for my embarrassment.