CHEERS TO THAT!
Brewery puts adoptable dogs on beers cans, reunites owner with lost dog after three years.
A Minnesotan woman spots her long-lost dog on a viral Florida beer can featuring adoptable dogs.
From California to Florida, special-edition beer releases have dog lovers raising a glass to animal adoption. Two breweries putting shelter pups on beer cans are helping dogs in need find forever homes—and in one case reuniting a lost dog with her owner after three years separation.
In late January, Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton, Florida, released a four-pack featuring four different adoptable dogs in search of their forever homes. The release was met with immediate popularity and the story was quickly picked up nationwide, including stories on CNN and The New York Post and a segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Two of four dogs, King and Morton, found homes right away, but the other two were still waiting for a change in fortune when there was a surprise twist— one of the dogs was destined for a reunion.
Monica Mathis was scrolling through Facebook when one of the stories in her Facebook newsfeed stopped her in her tracks. "I was looking at the dogs and I was like oh my gosh, that's Hazel," Monica told Bay News 9.
“I think this is my dog,” she cried to her husband. "I was a little hysterical because I was scared someone was going to adopt her at that point or something," she told WWSB News. "I was scared I was gonna lose her again."
Monica had long given up hope when she spotted her long-lost best friend. Hazel, leashed in the yard, had escaped her home in 2017. After fruitless searching, the family had moved from Iowa to Minnesota a month after Hazel went missing. Monica had assumed she’d never see her dog again.
No one knows how Hazel travelled the more than 1000 miles to Manatee County, FL. When she arrived at the shelter in March 2019, shelter staff tried to contact her owners but her microchip info was out of date. Monica had changed her name after a divorce and hadn’t updated her phone number after the family’s move.
Hazel, renamed Day Day at the shelter, was a last-minute addition to the lineup of dogs showcased on the brewery's beer cans. She had been at the shelter 10 months.
The Manatee County Animal Services told Fox it received a call from Monica, who had proof “Day Day” was her beloved dog, missed by her and her eight children.
Hazel is now finally on her way back home. Thanks to Friends of Manatee County Animal Services, Hazel is being reunited with Monica, with the organization covering the transportation costs.
For their part, Motorworks Brewing is already working on a follow-up release that will feature new adoptable dogs on the cans and will be distributed throughout Florida to continue raising awareness.
“It’s just been an incredible ride,” says Barry Elwonger, director of sales and marketing. “It’s been overwhelming.
We’ve had people reaching out across the country to see how they can get involved.”
Meanwhile in San Francisco, beer lovers are toasting senior dog adoption. The city’s Seven Stills Brewery and Distillery are set to release a limited-edition beer featuring photos of 12 different senior dogs from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. The Extra Special Bitter—or "Extra special whoooz a good boy!" as the can is also labelled—is set to be a hit.
“We wanted to do our best to raise awareness to the senior animal population who typically faces a much harder time finding a new home,” says Tim Obert, CEO and Co-Founder of Seven Stills Brewery and Distillery.
After hearing about Muttville, the brewers discovered the rescue organization was actually right down the street from them. They reached out and began working to support the rescue with various events. “The public reception has been great,” says Tim, who says the brewery plans to celebrate the release with an Adopt-a-Can party.
Muttville Senior Dog Rescue founder Sherri Franklin says the Muttville team is anticipating the new beer cans will bring new exposure to Muttville and their adoptable senior dogs. “All of us at Muttville are so excited about these adorable cans!” she says.