In January 2019, Florida’s Motorworks Brewing announced a partnership with a local dog rescue shelter. Together, the brewery and Shelter Manatee are selling four-packs of Adoptable Dog Cruiser Kölsch featuring photos of the shelter’s dogs that need good homes.
Proceeds from the Kölsch cans will go toward the construction of a new facility for the shelter, and two of the dogs featured on the labels had already been adopted. A third has also moved out of the shelter, but in much more remarkable circumstances.
Just weeks after the cans launched, Minnesota resident Monica Mathis was reading about the adoption program on Facebook when she recognized one of the dogs as her long-lost pet, Hazel.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s my dog!’” Mathis told WTVT Tampa Bay. Mathis then called Manatee County Animal Services, and was able to provide photos, microchip data, and vet records to prove she was Hazel’s owner.
How Hazel made it all the way to Florida is uncertain, but her trip back to Minnesota will be paid for by the non-profit Friends of Manatee County Animal Services.
This is not the first time a brewery has helped deserving pups find their forever homes, but it may be the most unexpected. As for current pet owners, Mathis encourages everyone to keep microchip data up-to-date.
“Keep track of exactly what company you use, make sure your stuff gets updated, especially if your pet goes missing,” she says. “And don’t ever give up.”