I love my dogs. I love making them happy with treats. I love sharing my (dog-safe) food with them. But there are some things that they simply cannot partake in.
Chocolate, grapes, onions, wine: These are all things that I love but are off limits to my furry friends. My favorite beverage, beer, is also forbidden as hops are toxic to dogs (ethanol isn’t too good for them either).
So what am I to do? Drink a delicious beer in front of them, sharing nothing at all? That seems too cruel. I guess I could give them water, but they know I’m not drinking water. They can smell the malty goodness. They know that this bottle of liquid delight is special.
Which is why they lost their collective marbles when I presented them with Bowser Beer.
Bowser Beer isn’t really beer. There’s no alcohol. There are no hops. But Kira and Angie were as excited about Bowser Beer as I get about real beer, which is disproportionately excited.
The good people at Bowser Beer were kind enough to send me two bottles of their canine-specific brew -– one Beefy Brown Ale and one Cock-a-Doodle Brew –- plus a tube of their Bowser Bits pretzel nuggets. Enough supplies to treat both of my pups to a proper “yappy hour.”
Beefy Brown Ale is exactly what it sounds like, a mix of beefy, brothy liquid with a hint of malt (thanks to the malt extract). The people at Bowser Beer make their own broth from real meat, with no added salt. I served each pup a chilled glass, which they eagerly consumed. Not a drop was left, not even the bits that had been spilled due to enthusiastic lapping. When it was over, they gazed up with anticipation as if to say “Why have you been hiding this from us, and where is the rest?”
I then uncorked the Cock-a-Doodle Brew and I knew I had their full attention. Small bowls of it were set down and they dove in, nothing but lapping tongues and wagging tails.
At first I thought there was no preference; they seemed to show the same amount of interest in each beer, but once they had tasted the Cock-a-Doodle Brew, they wanted nothing more to do with the Beefy Brown Ale. I had poured the remainder Cock-a-Doodle in Kira’s bowl and the rest of the Beefy Brown in Angie’s, and poor Angie tried in vain to squeeze her head in for more of the chicken-flavored liquid that had changed her life.
One would assume that once the preferred Bowser Beer was finished, they would move on to the second best option, but no. They continued to lick the bowl that had contained their favorite for about half an hour, and the remaining Beefy Brown stayed untouched by canine tongues for an additional 30 minutes.
They eventually drank it, because it was there, but the message had been sent: “Please procure more of the Cock-a-Doodle business, for it is superior in every way.”
I’m not sure why Cock-a-Doodle Brew was so clearly preffered. I didn’t taste either one, but I did smell them and they pretty much smelled identical: meaty, brothy, and a little malty.
Kind of like a mixture of noodle soup and sweet beer.
Moving on to the edibles.
I knew these would be actively begged for as soon as I saw them. My dogs pretty much live for peanut butter, so anything containing the stuff is sure to draw their interest. And they look like people food! Dogs love anything and everything that appears to be people food!
Needless to say, the peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets were happily consumed. I tried one (after a couple of human beers and to the utter horror of my husband) and am happy to report that they are completely edible; they taste like peanut butter pretzels with a hint of chicken. Other snacks offered by the Bowser company include dehydrated beef live treats and sausage cigars! I’ll be ordering these soon, as we all know that there is nothing funnier than a dog smoking a cigar.
Except a dog playing poker. That’s not just funny; that is art, my friends!
If you are the type of person who likes to buy your dog gifts (and I am), I recommend ordering a couple of Bowser Beers. In addition to being great straight up, this liquid treat can be poured over kibble, frozen into popsicles, or mixed with pumpkin. And, if you are at my level of crazy dog lady, you can order bottles of Bowser Beer with your beloved dog’s face on the label. As someone who loves customization and someone that loves my dogs’ faces, this delights me to no end.
Bowser Beer has done me a great service. Not only have they provided delicious treats for my puppies, they have given me the gift of never having to drink alone, even if there are no other humans around.
Would you give your dog a beefy beer? Would you ever celebrate “yappy hour”? Let us know in the comments!
Read related stories on Dogster:
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- 7 Things to Remember for a Dog-Safe Thanksgiving
- Eight Ways to Deal with a Finicky Eater
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