Please hold your a-paws until the end, folks! 

With over 200 pounds of pup between the Newfoundland and poodle “newfypoo” brothers already, there’s no doubt that dog-fluencers, Lincoln and Lewey, are growing a bit bigger than expected. Active on Instagram via their account, the dueling doggos have won the hearts of thousands online, managed by dog mom and Penn State alum Jodi Cheatle. 

Starting the account after the adoption of pandemic puppy and eldest brother Lincoln in October 2020, Cheatle had a simple goal: spreading joy online by sharing the genuine, wholesome lifestyle of furry love.

“I was like, ‘I wanna share him,” Cheatle said. “He makes me so happy, and he should make everybody happy.”

After adopting Lincoln, a two-year-old black Newfoundland-poodle mix, and then his biological brother, Lewey, a 10-month-old white and brown male of the same breed, Cheatle updated the account to include the whole family. Recently, the account found further success and a greater following, documenting the pups’ first family tailgate adventure for the Penn State-Northwestern matchup.

Despite their busy schedules as full-time pets and online personalities, Lincoln and Lewey recently sat down with us for a quick chat on Zoom, both unleashed and uncensored. With a little help from their dedicated dog mom, we fetched the full story for you and even translated a few barks from the Instagram-famous dog-fluencers themselves. 

“I’m not sure what you mean by Insta-famous,” Lincoln said. “But if it has anything to do with Mama chasing me around with her phone, it’s become a normal part of everyday life.”

Humble as ever, Lincoln keeps a low profile around the dog park, staying grounded despite his newfound Internet fame. 

“They don’t brag about it,” Cheatle confirmed. “They keep it to themselves, and they don’t wanna ‘ruff’-le any feathers.”

Yet as the team progressively joins the likes of other Penn State influencers, including TikTok stars Katie Feeney and Brad Kraut, a day in their life remains simple, explained by three short activities.

“Eat well, sleep often, and play hard,” Lewey said. “Preferably in that order to avoid digestive issues.” 

Living the good life together, the brothers enjoy cottage cheese, blueberries, and carrots in addition to their usual diet of kibble and Saint Rocco’s Treats, a brand of ingredient-conscious snacks created by Penn State alumni. The two also go on walks, take trips to Lowe’s, and even get their haircuts together, which is a necessary pampering for the curly pooches of poodle roots. 

“They do like to walk and to swim, but they just love to be with us,” Cheatle said. “They’re just lovebugs.”

While not specifically designed as lap dogs at roughly 100 pounds each, Lincoln and Lewey stay by their family’s side each step of the way, recently leading them to Penn State from their hometown of Quakertown, Pennsylvania. 

“The journey to Happy Valley sure was fun! Dad didn’t let me drive the RV, but I sat in the driver’s seat every chance I got,”  Lincoln said. “I imagine I would be a pup-tastic driver… if only.” 

An equally avid Philadelphia sports fan and Penn State pup, not-so-little brother Lewey shared his perspective on attending the event and meeting fellow Nittany Lions. 

“I knew gamedays were the best, but tailgating outside Beaver Stadium was by far the bestest ever,” Lewey said. “Making new fur-iends is always fun, but there’s nothing like getting pets from Penn Staters. They make my heart smile.” 

Rallying up the love from students and tailgaters alike, the duo enjoyed a variety of belly rubs and well wishes from the blue and white community and even stole a bite of a tailgate hot dog from big sister Jordynn and her college friends. 

“We finally got our first taste of a Hebrew National Beef Frank!” Lincoln said. “It was paw-satively delicious. No toppings though…beggars can’t be choosers.” 

Snacking during the ruff, rainy weather, Lincoln and Lewey also sported custom Penn State raincoats made by their mom, with only one complaint for next time — they desperately need bigger sizes in official Penn State dog wear. Adding onto the merch order, a customized flag was also seen at the Cheatle family tailgate, emblazoned with the pups’ smiling faces to mark the important day. 

“Back when I was in school, we didn’t have cell phones and couldn’t ping our location when we were tailgating,” Cheatle said. “We would be like, ‘We’re near a flag that looks like this,’ and I knew I had to make a flag for them.” 

Two handsome faces flying high over the tailgate lots, Lincoln and Lewey are truly inseparable in every meaning of the word. From chewing on each other’s ears to wrestling all day, their brotherly love is stronger than ever as a common theme for the pair’s preferences.

“Paws down, our most fur-vorite Penn State football players are Sean and Liam Clifford,” the duo explained. “We are partial to handsome brothers who love to play ball, and something about their name just screams big dog.”

With obvious BDE, or “big dog energy,” the pups proudly displayed their love and loyalty on Halloween this year. Wearing a couple’s costume of Thing 1 and Thing 2, the duo had all paws on deck for the holiday, fully committed by matching floofs of blue hair.

Spirited as ever, the dedicated dog-fluencers also plan to return to Happy Valley again soon in the spring, this time stopping at Doggie’s Pub to celebrate big sister Jordynn’s 21st birthday. Hoping to explore more of State College, the dynamic duo is bonded to the university for life.

“We love Penn State almost as much as we love our hoo-mans,” Lincoln said. “We have to say that or they’ll never bring us back… shhhh!” 

Laughing along with her precious pooches, Cheatle reflected on her experience as a Penn Stater and the overwhelming support she’s received from the Penn State community online. 

“Penn State is like family,” Jodi said. “There’s just a camaraderie that you don’t get from many places, and it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from… If you went to Penn State, you got their back.”

Sharing joy both online and on campus, Cheatle never expected the outpouring of love for @lincoln_and_lewey but is sure to keep us updated on everyone’s favorite Penn State pups.

“I didn’t anticipate it, but I hoped that it would catch on and still hope that it will catch on,” Cheatle said. “We all just adore them so much… They make us all so happy.”