CANINE WINE....IT'S A THING!

     This is more a story for my wife than anything, but my fellow dog lovers will love this also. So, my wife loves our dogs, wine and me, in no particular order. She has become a connoisseur of all three and will love this blog!

     Do you remember back in the day, you would purposely spill some of your adult beverage on the floor so your furry friend can come over and lap it all up? Well, now there's a doggy beverage to cure all that. Back in June, we celebrated a new wine for cats, leaving dog lovers out in the cold, and sure there are some beer for dogs on the market, but what about the canines with more sophisticated tastes? 

     Brandon Zavala, founder of the Denver-based pet wine company Apollo Peak said, "We always planned on doing something for dogs. Dogs are more patient." Unlike their owners anyway. When cat wine exploded in popularity, Zavala said the dog people quickly demanded their own versions.

     Zavala's company introduced ZinFanTAIL and CharDOGNay, which is now available in 12 oz. bottles for pre-order online. Like the wines for cats, the canine versions don't contain any alcohol or grapes, which are both dangerous for pets. They get their wine-like coloring from beet juice. While the feline wines rely on catnip to produce a stimulating effect, the dog beverages are made with brewed peppermint or chamomile to help calm the pups down. 

     Zavala said that the drinks are more of a relaxant and that they'll get more mellow, which is kind of what wine does to humans. Oh no wait. That's weed! Although the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals lists chamomile as potentially toxic to pets, the group confirmed that occasionally consuming it is unlikely to harm a dog. The ASPCA Poison Control Center stated that the problems with chamomile usually arise after daily ingestion and are usually limited to cats. 

     Zavala always recommends that pet owners check with their own vet before giving his company's products to their cat or dog. But once you get the thumbs up, feel free to kick back and have a drink with your canine pal. I'm sure after reading this my wife will be ordering cases of this stuff, which will leave me as the only person in our house who doesn't drink. What will they think of next? Doggy blunts? It will help with their eye sight, appetite and aches and pains. Now, that would be awesome!