PAW Dog
The search is on throughout the Midlands for one special dog—the 2021 Bark Brew Spokesdog.
Enter your canine best friend in the competition for a chance to win the unusual grand prize— your dog’s image, name, and bio on a can of Bark Brew beer. Bark Brew is a limited small batch release by Columbia Craft Brewing Company, a national award-winning craft brewer based in Columbia. The winning spokesdog—the dog who receives the most votes—will also receive other fabulous prizes.
Best of all, it’s for a great cause—to help Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS) provide service dogs for people with disabilities.
“We hope our first ever Bark Brew contest will not only be a lot of fun, but also that it will give dog lovers in the Midlands a way to express the deep affection and wonder they feel for their dogs,” said PAALS Executive Director Liz Anderson. “We’re hoping hundreds of dogs throughout the community will enter. All dogs are welcome and have a chance of winning. This is true whether your dog is known for being goofy, cute, eccentric, totally ordinary, loving, sly, protective, or lively. We’re looking for lapdogs, rescues, family pets, hunting dogs, working dogs, therapy dogs, guard dogs…all of them!”
PAALS service dog
All money raised by the contest will go to help people with disabilities, including veterans and first responders, people with autism, and people with mobility or neurological conditions, get an Assistance Dogs International accredited service dog from PAALS to increase their independence. PAALS is a Columbia based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers children and adults with physical disabilities and social needs by training service dogs and providing animal assisted educational and recreational activities. PAALS was named an Angel Charity by the S.C. Secretary of State several years ago for the charity’s wise, careful use of donor funds.
Columbia resident Leigha Nuss plans to enter her dog, Whiskey, in the Bark Brew contest. She said she has picked a photo of Whiskey and written a brief entry bio for him as soon as she heard about it.
Service dog in training
“Whiskey is a mutt, a mix between a Lab and a Beagle,” Nuss said. “A friend found him wandering the street and brought him to me. I had sworn off dogs after the death of my last dog, which broke my heart, but when I saw Whiskey, it was love at first sight. When I heard about this contest, I thought it was the coolest idea. I mean, who wouldn’t love to see their dog on a beer can?”
Nuss said she and Whiskey are “in it to win it,” and she will continue sharing Whiskey’s ballot with all her social media friends in the weeks to come, asking them to vote for Whiskey.
Andrew Strauss, owner of Columbia Craft Brewing Company, said Columbia Craft was delighted when PAALS approached the business about the fundraiser to help provide service dogs for people who need them.
“Dogs hold a special place here at our downtown brewery, and people often bring their dogs with them when they stop by for a drink,” Strauss said. “We also love helping the Midlands community however we can. We are very humbled and thankful to be asked to create a special beer for this cause. We can’t wait to share it with you all.”
Will your dog be the next Bark Brew spokesdog?
Other dog-loving contest co-sponsors include WIS-TV, Rob Wilson Photography, and Little Barks Boutique.
How the Contest Works
If you’d like to enter your dog in the contest, simply go to www.paals.org before October 16. Submit a favorite photo of your dog and a minimum $10 donation and, in your dog’s words, tell us why he or she would make the perfect spokesdog for Columbia Craft Brewing Company—and dogs everywhere. Your $10 donation gives your dog 10 votes right off the bat. If you’d like to donate more, that’s fine, too; each dollar you donate equals another vote, and it all goes to help PAALS provide service dogs to people who need them.
Vote for your dog through October 16. Or vote for your friends’ dogs, or any dogs that seem cool—during that same period. Each vote cast is just a $1 donation to PAALS. Share your dog’s entry with everyone on your social media pages to boost your dog’s chances of winning. Have fun browsing the contestants each week with your friends, workmates, kids, and grandkids.
Win a Fabulous Prize Package
At the end of the six-week contest, the top vote-getting dog wins a fabulous prize package including:
•The dog’s image, name, and bio on Columbia Craft Brewing Company’s 2021 Bark Brew beer can;
•A professional photo shoot by professional photographer Rob Wilson;
•An 11×14 canvas print of their soon-to-be-famous Bark Brew image from photographer Rob Wilson;
•A $100 gift certificate for canine products from Little Barks Boutique;
•A case of Bark Brew beer from Columbia Craft Brewing Company;
•Two adult tickets to the PAALOWEEN costume party, Friday, October 29 at The River Center in Columbia;
•Special recognition at a November party at Columbia Craft Brewing Company on the day the brewery cans the beer. The event may be covered by members of the local pup-parazzi.
The second and third place finalists will also win prizes including a $50 gift certificate for canine products from Little Barks Boutique and two adult tickets to PAALOWEEN.
Anderson said PAALS is grateful for the sponsors and to every dog lover who participates.
“ We hope families and co-workers will have a ball browsing the entries each week,” she said. “The contest is a great opportunity for families with children to enjoy some really inexpensive entertainment each week. You can browse the entries as a family and give child a $1 vote for their favorite contestants. It’s a way to have good clean fun while also doing good.”
Anderson also said she hopes dog lovers who enter their rescue dogs into the contest will make sure to mention the name of the rescue organization involved.
“Our Bark Brew contest is really a celebration of dogs, and in addition, we want to celebrate the many wonderful people in our community who generously give their time and resources to help rescue dogs and volunteer with organizations like PAALS,” Anderson said.
To enter your special dog, go to paals.org.
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