Puppies N’ Pints! Brooklyn Brewery Went to the Dogs Last Night

No, not all of the 2,000-plus people who committed on Facebook to attending the first ever Puppies n’ Pints were able to go – sorry guys, Brooklyn Brewery’s just not that big. They had to cap the event at 100, but in the wake of the incredible response the event’s organizers are already planning two upcoming opportunities to play with adoptable dogs while enjoying a few good brews. And as for Wednesday night’s event, the smiles on people’s faces would indicate success for the fledging cause.

We’re already well aware of NYC’s recent boom of kitty cafes, but if cats are for coffee lovers than dogs pair well with… beer? Apparently. “Breweries don’t have any food preparation, which makes them the perfect places to bring in dogs,” pointed out Adriana Krasniansky, who came up with idea for Puppies n’ Pints and recruited friends to help her out with the execution. The fundraiser was a benefit for featured rescue organization Zani’s Furry Friends.
“It’s hard to see pups like these and not want to bring them home,” said Krasniansky, who yearns for a dog of her own but is still working on convincing her roommates. Temping though it may be, the guests of honor were not up for grabs that night. People interested in adopting or fostering one of the dogs could fill out a form to get the ball rolling, but no one would be waking up to a furry new roommate after a night of too many $5 Oktoberfests.
“There’s no pressure,” Krasniansky said. “The idea is to see what fun it is to have a little partner in crime – that dogs can easily fit into your lifestyle, and it’s not as hard as you might think.” And if you’re not comfortable with committing to a dog just yet, there’s always the option to foster. Rescue groups like Zani’s will take their dogs back if they don’t end up working out.
There were five dogs at the event, three of them adoptable, one of them the pet of the shelter’s owner (the pack leader of sorts), and one dog we never did catch the name of that Krasniansky said she thought belonged to a brewery employee (ah, the perks of knowing the staff – no other outside dogs were permitted to crash the event). Next time they plan to bring more pooches — after all, they were the stars of the show. Krasniansky said she wanted to see how four would work out before making the event any bigger.
Puppies n’ Pints organizers let Michael Ripinsky, whose shelter NOLA Furry Friends Safe Haven Shelter partners with Zani’s to rescue animals, choose the appropriate pups for the event; he said he selected the most “bomb-proof” of all his shelter’s dogs, and none of them seemed to mind the loud music and all the people. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a bit. There was six-month-old black lab mix Halle (as in Halle Berry), who was intent on convincing people to throw her tennis ball; two-year-old brother and sis Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mixes Bella and Rascal bounced around, licked faces and climbed their way up into people’s open arms when encouraged. Then there was aforementioned den mother of sorts, Ursula, who in addition to providing moral support helps Ripinsky pick out the most adoptable dogs to be rescued from New York City’s kill shelters. “I bring her with me, and she tells me whether the dog is nice or not,” he said.
“It’s so different to be in this environment than in a shelter,” said Lindsey Marron, of Stewert Manor, Long Island. “And it’s a great way to meet new people. Everyone here loves dogs – you’ve got one talking point right there.” They’re obviously onto something, so Puppies n’ Pints has already set a date (October 26) for a Halloween event, and they plan to throw a mistletoe themed event around the Holidays. Kraniansky said that for now they’re building on their existing partnership with Brooklyn Brewery, but they’re hoping to reach out to other breweries in the future. “We’re not here to play favorites,” she said. “We’re here to get as many dogs adopted as possible.”