Dogtown Days of summer

By winecountrydog

The Dogtown Days of summer are upon me — that is, Dogtown Pale Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company. I'm drinking 'cuz ale is good for what ails me.

Good ol' Lagunitas. As they say, they brew "in a bizarre old world tradition using only water, hops, yeast, and malted barley." The result is something that humans and dogs call delicious and delightful.

In this dog's opinion, the Dogtown ale, which is fairly light-bodied, has a nice floral aroma with fruity and herbal notes, a fresh hoppy scent, balanced bitterness (not sharp), smooth mouthfeel, and a dogalicious finish.

That's pretty good describin' fur a dog, isn't it? Well, howl, I've had plenty of oppawtunity to think about how to describe things since my major back surgery.

Drinking good craft beer is a serious health matter for me. I have awful muscle spasms from time to time. I drink beer the same way I take pharmaceutical drugs: in a measured dose. Drugs like muscle relaxants and painkillers "zonk" me, so I try not to take them too much. I don't like feeling zonked. But sometimes I have to give in 'cuz the spasms get to me.

A bit of beer in a specified amount, based on my weight, really helps me relax, and it also helps my medications last longer in my system. I learned this "beer trick" from a veterinarian.

Some humans feel I'm nutz for drinking beer. And they feel my dog-ma is a criminal for buying me the beer. Humans have passionate opposing opinions on this subject!

Here's an example of the anti-beer position: "Owners must be made aware of the danger and consequences of alcohol consumption in the family pet and consider alcohol as a household poison. Veterinarians are reminded that any incident of alcohol poisoning in animals is not legally privileged information and, if abuse is thought to have occurred, the local humane society and police need to be involved." This statement is from The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (1993).

I'm not abused. I'm not poisoned. I actually feel better today than I did yesterday. But now, 'cuz of reading anti-beer literature, I'm paranoid.

Could you paw-leeze bail my dog-ma out of jail if they catch me with a beer in my paw?

Pawnote: If you'd like to bark about this subject, question my sanity, or get more info about how I use beer safely, paw-leeze email me.