VIRGINIA BEACH – People who love dogs and beer can appreciate both at an upcoming event a local brewery.
Wasserhund Brewery will host a dog adoption day June 11 with the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The event will run from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at 1805 Laskin Road.
Dogs are central to Wasserhund’s identity. Its logo is a rendering of Hertz Holley, the German Shepherd pet of owners Aaron and Christine Holley. The brewery “was born from a love of the beach, dogs, and German beer,” the owners say on their website. Wasserhund means “water dog” in German.
“At least one of our dogs has always been an adopted dog, so it’s pretty important to us,” Christine Holley said.
The brewery donates 5 percent of its revenue to a different charity each month, and has give more than $25,000 since its August 2015 opening, Holley said. Organizations that have benefited include Lady’s Grace, Dogs on Deployment and Seton Youth Shelters. This is the first time the brewery has hosted an adoption event, Holley said.
“It’s a different avenue to reach people who might be looking for an animal to love – and we’re very excited about it,” she said.
The brewery has an outside patio where customers can sit with their dogs. There might be four dogs out there on an average night, said Lindsey Podd, Wasserhund’s event coordinator.
“For me, it’s natural to get the brewery community and the pet community together because they usually go hand in hand,” said Podd, who has volunteered with the SPCA for two years.
These type of outreach events help more animals get adopted, she said.
“Not everyone thinks ‘I want to adopt a dog,’ but if you bring the dogs out to the people and they can see the dogs, they’re more likely to get adopted than if you just leave them in the shelter,” Podd said.
SPCA staff will also bring flyers of other animals in the shelter.
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