Does your dog drink beer?

Even if your dog doesn't imbibe ( I know, he Barks - you drink the Beer) - you know what he does like. He likes to run. He does not like to sit on the couch with a brewski and the remote. He likes to kick up his heels and play like the wild thing that he/she is. He wants park time - badly.

See that face there? That is the face of a dog desperately in need of some offleash time running in the grass. And starting next weekend (June 20-21) with the breaking of ground and the setting of poles in Renton's first Offleash Dog Park along the banks of the Cedar River - that is exactly what all of our soon to be ecstatic puppies are going to be getting. (Want to volunteer ? they still need help, my little peeps!)

We, the owners of small furry friends have had our prayers heard. As seen in the schematic above, along side the front gate to the park there will be an area reserved for the small dogs. Thank you, RUFF organizers for hearing out our needs and seeing that they were met.

The 130 tickets for the fundraising event, Barks and Beers, held at The Dog and Pony Grill and Alehouse, were sold out by the day of the event (Sat. 6/13) and the turnout was good. There were adorable table centerpieces, paw print balloons, a table full of "ruffle" prizes and a drawing for a trip to Victoria, replete with food, whale watching,etc. with tickets which were sold for a $5 donation. Dennis Law, our mayor, that's right! won that one. How did he pull that off? I hear that he bought scads of tickets. Wonder if the trip is "dog friendly?"

Christine Taylor (soon to be Christine Rousse) with her prize black lab plushy.

Amongst those gathered in support of RUFF (Renton's Unleashed Furry Friends/Renton Community Foundation), I saw Marcie Maxwell, Rich Zwicker and ever so briefly, Marcie Palmer. There was seating both in the outside beer garden as well as within the pub at The Dog and Pony. The fare was basic hotdogs and hamburgers with the inclusion of a Veggie burger for our nonmeat eating friends, plus a side of potato salad and some chips. There were about 6 beers on tap, all of them donated, and each ticket came with two beer coupons good for a pint of beer or a glass of wine or soda. Examples of the dog-themed beer of the evening were - Laughing Dog Brewery's Alpha Dog (a nice double IPA), and Flying Dog Brewery Double Dog Double Pale Ale.

We had gorgeous, temperate weather for the event. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time. The beer garden this day, alas, was free of dogs. Sorry Fido!

Big Dog Thanks go out to Jay and Kristen Fisher (Jay, pictured here above) for hosting and helping out with this event for such a good cause. Also, a shout out to the following companies who contributed to the successful evening:
Cedar River Composting
Click Distributing
Deschutes Brewery
Elysian Brewing Company
Food Services of America
Flying Dog Brewery
Fuller's Breweries International
Georgetown Brewing Company
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Laughing Dog Brewing
Mac & Jacks Brewing Co.
New Belgium Brewing
The Odom Corporation
Pacific Beverages
SAB Miller
World Class Beverages

Still want more!? Visit www.rentonoffleash.org

Barks,beers and little woofs

June 13th the Renton Offleash Dog Park will receive another good boost in the arm - the Barks and Beers event to benefit the park will be held at the Dog & Pony and the tickets are going fast. The Dog and Pony has always held human's best friend in high regard - the patio out to the side of the establishment is dog friendly and is used in the warmer months by many as a great place to dine on some great pub food and beer along with the furry "other half".

And while I have your attention - I want to put in a word for the smaller woofs in the crowd. Wookie, above, is a Chinese Crested Powder Puff, who weighs in at a whopping 4 pounds. Just this week he was grabbed up in the jaws of a much bigger dog at a dog park that does not have an area for "smaller dogs". His human, Sue Rider, hopes that in the entire 5 acres that is being allotted for the park, some consideration will be given to the wee folks who don't always have the easiest of times with those 80 pound four leggers. I second that motion. I have a wee one and he is just plain afraid of anyone else's shadow when it comes right down to it, even though he likes to make out with his initial annoying barking that that is not the case. Napoleon complex - owner diagnosed.

Barks & Beers Saturday June 13th 5-9pm
Dog and Pony Grill and Alehouse 351 Park Ave (425) 254 - 8080
www.thedogandpony.com
Tickets available now at the Dog for $30/$35 at door (but only some will be available)
Includes two dog-themed beers and your choice of hamburger,veggie burger, hotdog served with some tasty side dishes.

RUFF!! Renton's Dog Park

This is for the few of you that may not know that Renton is soon to be the proud owner of an Offleash Dog Park that will break ground come June. The location is on a 5 acre parcel of land owned by the city next to the Cedar River Trail - in yesteryear, a brick factory, and now just hillocks and foliage with some ruins here and there. Fast forward to summer, and it will be and incredible dog park that will, I believe, bring some really cool people (and pets) plus additional revenue to our little burg -yeah!
RUFF, the name of the organization headed by Debbie Englund and Kevin Poole (Operations Committee for the dog park), has only been incorporated since March 25, but the strides that have been made are overwhelmingly quick. Just a couple of weeks ago fundraising kicked off with an event at the newly opened Vino's at the Landing, Wags 'n Wine, which netted the park a whopping $8,100. But the money still kept coming in.
The most recent email that I received a week or more ago, stated that the count is at $13,000 and the city has agreed to start ordering the construction materials for the park and change the open date from August to June. Local support for this venture has just been incredible. The city has agreed to match the funds raised by Ruff, and go even further than that, and the Renton Community Foundation has stepped in to take the role of managing the funds and this qualifies the donations now made to Ruff for tax deductions. (For those of you interested in supporting - checks can be made out to Renton Community Foundation - RUFF Fund P.O. Box 820, Renton, WA 98057)

You can become involved at any level, join Ruff on Facebook, sign up to receive the emails that are sent as updates through rentonoffleash@gmail.com or mark in your calendars that the next fundraising event will be in June at The Dog and Pony Grill and Alehouse

Brewer's night at the "Dog"

What could be tastier in this wonderful Spring climate than to throw back some totally big and bold beer from a microbrewery? The Dog and Pony will host Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, a brewery straight from San Francisco, and the largest microbrewery there, in a Brewer's Night this Thursday at 7pm. Usually what this means is that besides all of the great brews the Dog and Pony has on tap, there will be at least 3-5 brews that are especially from the brewery of choice that night, in this instance Speakeasy, and a rep from the brewery that will introduce the beers to you as well as a few give aways and free glasses.
One of my very favorite beers is in fact from Speakeasy, it is their Double Daddy - a Double IPA that is just big (ie high in alcohol content) and in flavor. Speakeasy has been brewing since 1997 and is located right in downtown SF at 119 Evans Ave. They don't do foodor have an eatery attached, so when you go down San Francisco way just look to have a tour on a Friday, if you must, or just swing by and imbibe - which is what you should be doing at The Dog this Thursday night.

Out and about at the "Dog"

Scott and Marian(top), Jimi and Katie(bottom),Aimee and Lindsay(top right),Charlie(middle) and Big Bob. The Dog and Pony Alehouse and Grill - St. Patrick's Day.

If you're Irish and you know it...

David at the Antique Mall is wearing a sweater straight from Ireland today, and that's no blarney! His has the lucky shamrock right there, emblazoned on his chest to prove it.

The Eagle's Club on Wells St. is a great place to get a casual well drink and play some poker, hang out with some old time Rentonites and probably a few Italian/Irish.

Today only, Common Ground Cupcakes and Coffee are featuring Green Velvet Cupcakes - and I stopped by already to do some inspection - and I give them the official green light for goodness.

Pinching may occur today, so sport your green. Or, go one step further and get your Irish Accent Breath Spray, available today while supplies last at Happy Delusions on S. Third. Tell Mary that The Picarron sent ya - maybe she'll take pity on you and pronounce you "Irish" for the day, and still pinch you for such blarney 'cuz with as many Irish immigrants having 12 kid families back in the day, we are
ALL a little Irish!

The Dog and Pony will feature Leprechaun Throwing (Aimee says that Lindsay goes first) and Jay, the owner, will be cooking up some Irish food favorties. The Tapestry Saloon will be having Guinness for $4, rueben sandwiches and the other cornbeef wonders. DC 's Bar and Grill will be having some fun and games tonight, like shuffle board, and special snacks, no cover. Caution to be had it you think to head for Finnegan's as they will have you dish out $20 if you arrive anytime after one this afternoon - ouch!!
Those are just a few of the highlights for our zipcode today, my friends - drink wisely and drive safely - Happy St. Patricks Day!

And about that beer..

The Dog and Pony has 32 rotating taps of beer wonderfulness - and a great burger, fish and chips, nachos or, in my meager opinion, the best Chef Salad around, to pair with your drinking. Last night it was packed, but I did get a chance to catch up with Jeannie McWilliams, writer for the Northwest Brewing News, and ask her to help highlight some of the finer brews of choice currently on tap. Jeannie is the best sharer of beer knowledge, beer love and beer lore of anyone around. She literally shares her beer with anyone expressing a true blue interest, or who just looks confused and needs a little direction. Here are Jeannie's picks of the week:
Dogfish Head Raison D'etre
Full Sail Black Gold Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Choklat
Dick's Grand Cru (we loving call this the amnesia beer)
Elysian's Hubris Imperial IPA(I drank this hoppy lovely and give it a thumbs up)

Check them out! Open 7 days of the week. Kids not allowed, but furry friends are when the weather is warm and the outside seating area is open. (click on the link above to view all of the Dog's current beer list!)
The Dog and Pony Alehouse and Grill 351 Park Ave.N. (425)254-8080