Whiskey for My Men, Beer for My Dogs

Recently, I have gone from detesting and avoiding beer in all forms to preferring certain types of beer (Dos Equis and Hefeweissens to be specific) over all other alcoholic drinks. And with the end of the school year upon me (I'm an afterschool teacher) I recently bought a six-pack to celebrate.

As one would expect, Apple wanted to join in this celebration. Apple likes all types of food (and non-foods) with the strange exception of bananas, so it shouldn't surprise me that he was intrigued by (and tried to steal) my beer. He kept trying to lick the bottle and my face and was begging for it as he so often does. Today, my parents and brother came over and he was knocking over their empty bottles and trying to enjoy any last bit that he could.

Obviously, I know not to let my dog drink beer. I think it's funny and kind of cute how he likes it, though, which leaves me feeling slightly disturbed, as I remember pictures I have seen of friends' children posing with alcohol paraphernalia...I hope I never think that is funny or cute.

Aside from giving him a few licks off of my fingers or an empty bottle, I'm not going to let Apple drink beer. It's bad for their brain, liver, and kidneys (like humans) and dogs are allergic to hops. But, I wondered if there was anything to Apple's attraction to beer. So I Googled it.

I found that many people had posted about their dogs enjoying the taste of beer, and it was actually pretty common. So common in fact, that multiple companies have sprouted up creating non-alcoholic beer for dogs. I kid you not.

One Australian company, simply named "Dog Beer," offers beef-flavored beer for dogs. The ingredients are all human grade, so they claim you could drink one alongside your dog, but seeing as how I'm a vegetarian, I don't think I would join him in that.

 One US variety, Dawg Grog, is similar, but made with vegetable broth! It is made in Oregon and can be shipped to all 50 states.

 Another meaty dog beer, Bowser Beer, is available from local vendors all across the United States, and can be purchased at Dogadillo and Healthy Pet in Austin, TX!

Maybe beer for dogs isn't such a strange concept, but I was surprised when I found out it actually existed. I don't know why beer is so attractive to dogs, but it must be a pretty big deal if so many companies have already come up with the idea to make specific varieties for dogs!

Maybe Apple can get some for his 2nd birthday. By then he'll be a responsible adult! ;)