Tail-Waggin' Treat

Canine 'beer' is gaining steam among ale-happy pet lovers

By Sharon L. Peters
CTW Features

Real beer is dangerous for dogs, so entrepreneur Jamie Miller developed Happy Tail Ale, greatly enjoyed by her Akita Kodi.

For those who just can't resist sharing a hot-summer-evening or game-day brewsky with Bruiser, there's now an option far better than real beer.

Happy Tail Ale, a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated beer taste-alike developed by a Napa Valley woman and sold only in California for a time, is now being offered in more than 100 outlets in 40 states from Maine to Oregon and from Florida to Wisconsin (click here to find it near you).

"I'm happy there are obviously people out there who love their dogs as much as we love ours, and who think it's cool and fun to give them an occasional treat," says Jamie Miller, a former D.J. who founded Dog Star Brewing Co.

The canine liquid refreshment is brewed from filtered water, malted barley and a touch of beef drippings for added flavor, and fortified with glucosamine and Vitamin E.

It's sold by the bottle or six-pack: $1.50 to $6 a bottle or $8 to $18 a six-pack, depending on the outlet's proximity to Napa Valley.

"Distribution is a nut I'm still trying to crack," says Miller. Relying on conventional shipping means is a costly proposition that significantly boosts the unit pricing for stores more than a state or two away. But she's exploring several possibilities that will bring shipping costs down.

The concept for Happy Tail Ale formed in Miller's head when she and her insurance-agency husband were discussing what to give their treasured Akita, Kodiac Bear, aka Kodi, for his second birthday.

They joked that they should just buy him a six-pack of O'Doul's to celebrate, since he'd swiped a lick or two of beer in the past and clearly had an affection for it. But they also knew beer is bad for dogs.

"I thought about that all night," says Miller, and by daybreak she had come up with the name of her new dog-beer company, a name for the product and had a plan for making dog ale a reality.

She did her research. She brewed test products in massive brew kettles on her tiny stove. And within months she had finessed the recipe and was offering her concoction at a Napa chef's market.

Reaction was positive. Soon she was selling out every week.

The only problem was it took her an entire evening to create one case of beer.

She finally located a contract brewery willing to take on the beer-making task. And as satisfied purchasers began sending Miller's Web link to their friends, and bloggers began raving about it, Happy Tail Ale caught on.

"In 2005 I was moving about five cases a week," Miller says. Now she's moving 50 cases a week, and hears regularly from folks who say their four-legged pals find the product quite delectable.

As to its safety, veterinarian Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine for the ASPCA, says the ingredients in Happy Tail are "generally non-toxic" to dogs. But "because malt can be sugary," it can be problematic for dogs with some conditions, including diabetes. Her recommendation is to "give only in small amounts and make sure your dog has access to plenty of water."

Miller says Happy Tail Ale is intended as an occasional-treat kind of product.

Even Kodi, who keeps Miller company for hours while she's packaging up her doggie beer in the garage every week, usually gets to slurp some only on weekends. "Friends come over with their dogs, we all sit around the fire pit," and the four-legged visitors get to imbibe a little doggie ale while their owners drink whatever it is their owners drink.

Happy Tail Ale is not a substitute for water, Miller says, or an everyday beverage. "It's a fun product that allows dogs and people to celebrate special events together," she says.

Although many dog owners boast of sharing a mug of real beer with their canine friends, that's courting real danger, experts say.

"People should never give real beer to dogs," says Murray. Dogs, she says, are "much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and can experience severe neurological effects." And even moderate neurological effects from alcohol "can be terrifying to dogs because they have no way of understanding what is happening to them or why."

And that's just the beginning of the potentially calamitous impact. The hops used in beer can cause "a severe condition in dogs called malignant hyperthermia, where the body temperature becomes dangerously elevated," she says.

Also, beer can cause stomach upset in dogs, Murray says, and carbonation can lead to a life-threatening condition called gastric dilation and volvulus, also known as bloat.

Once Miller is able to come up with a more cost-effective-for-clients distribution plan, she hopes to add to her product line.

She's keeping her ideas top secret at the moment. But she will say they will be companion products that would appeal to the same sort of pet owner who likes the idea of giving Fido a break now and then from plain old water.

What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, training and loving your pet. E-mail Sharon@Pets2008.com.

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