Dog-Friendly Northern Colorado Breweries

dog friendly breweries in northern colorado

It’s no lie if you live in Colorado and you’re not already…you’ll become a beer connoisseur (with over ~140 craft breweries). I used to be that young girl drinking foo-foo cocktails, but the older I get, I’ve wised up. Plus, beer and wine? So much better. Heck, they’re both borderline health foods if you ask me.

So, as I’ve been slowly drinking my way through every brewery within a 20 60 mile radius and throughout Northern Colorado, I’ve done the extra work and noted down ones that allow your dog to join, too. Of course, I may have missed a few along the way, so feel free to give me a shout-out if you know of others.

With that being said, here’s a list of my favorite breweries in NoCo that are dog-friendly. Some even allow your dog indoors – bonus points for y’all. Did I mention how much I love Colorado?

DOG-FRIENDLY BREWERIES IN NORTHERN COLORADO:

GREELEY

Brix Taphouse | dog-friendly patio

Broken Plow | dog friendly patio and taproom* (*on non-brewing days)

Crabtree | dog-friendly patio and taproom

WeldWerks |dog-friendly patio

 

WINDSOR

High Hops |dog-friendly patio

 

LOVELAND

Grimm Brothers | dog friendly patio and taproom

Verboten Brewing | dog-friendly patio

Loveland Aleworks | dog-friendly patio

Crow Hop | dog-friendly patio

 

FORT COLLINS

Horse & Dragon | dog-friendly patio and taproom

Funkwerks | dog-friendly patio and taproom

Odell Brewing COmpany | dog-friendly patio (dogs allowed to walk through taproom)

New Belgium | dog-friendly patio and taproom

Snowbank Brewing | dog-friendly patio and taproom

 

Cheers!

*Know of a brewery that is dog-friendly and not on this list? Shame. Please do share!

My Pittied Life: January 2016

lola the pitty dog blog

Well hello. It’s February. We’ve been quiet. What else can I say that is quite obvious?

As I’m sitting here typing and staring off into the living room and kitchen that I can finally call my own, one thing is certain: my dogs are my everything. 2015 was probably the most ‘exciting’ year in regards to big events in my life, but I wouldn’t take back anything.

lola the pitty2

Here’s what last year consisted of, in a nutshell:

1 – Moving back to my home-state of Colorado…best decision ever. I’m not about to slap a “Native” sticker on the back of my SUV or hit up the dispensary down the street but there is truly so much to love about this gorgeous state.

2 – Buying a house. Finally! Backyard – check. Wood floors – check. Savings account no longer in existence – check.

3 – While I’m fairly reserved about our personal lives, you may have noticed we’re now a family of three. Sometimes two people decide going their separate ways is the best for everyone. No worries though, Lola and Rio are on either side of me as I type, so be prepared to see their cute faces in upcoming blog posts.

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Did I mention we were featured in Woman’s Day magazine?

Look at that cute face peaking out behind our Doggy Eggnog recipe!

womansday

By the way…do you follow us on Instagram (if you don’t, you should immediately!)?

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So while we build up our blog posts, make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter (sign up right down there ↓) to stay up to date on the latest giveaways, reviews, and Lola gossip. Thanks for your continued support and love throughout the years (holy cow, yes…this blog is now going on 3 years old).

Until next time…

XO,

Sarah, Lola & Rio

My Pittied Life – July 2015

I’m a few days late (as in it’s already August 6th!) in posting this for last month but it’s finally here.

Disc Fun
My Pittied Life | Lolathepitty.com

July was an event-packed month and while we didn’t take the dogs on any long hikes in the mountains, we did make a couple trips to Horsetooth Reservoir and catch up on our disc game quite a bit.

Rio finally learned how much fun it is to leap and catch the disc before it hits the ground, imagine that! Two little disc dogs plus one disc mom who can’t throw a disc very well – great combination.

Enoch

Enoch - adoptable dog on lolathepitty.com

Any friends remember Enoch? He was our last foster dog in Minnesota and was adopted by a lady in Michigan. While she loved him, Enoch suffers from separation anxiety and after living with her for a year through a long journey and many attempts, she made the decision that her home could not provide what he needed. She contacted me and I immediately began networking and trying to find him a new place to go. I’ll admit, I was not too hopeful…

I posted a photo of him on our Facebook page requesting that if anyone knew of a home or person that would be willing to work with his anxiety, to message us.  A few hours later, the notorious Facebook ‘ding’ went off on my phone and it was a gal from Minnesota who volunteers with many of the rescues up there. She said she may have someone in mind and asked if we could start a group chat to discuss details. Two hours later, it was decided that Enoch would be coming back to Minnesota under a couple conditions: we could find transportation for him and could raise the money for everything he’d need. It was a long stretch and a tall order but as I’m reminded time and time again, together we save.

In less than one week we raised over $600 for a Pro Select Empire Kennel, grain free food for a few months, a couple training books on separation anxiety, etc. His previous owner helped transport him a good amount of the way and a team of us coordinated a handful of volunteers to bring him the remainder of the way.

Enoch is now living in what I am very hopeful will be his ‘forever’ home. He is living with a family in northern Minnesota who works opposite shifts and has committed to his training and needs. Follow along with his adventures on his Facebook page here. 

We Love Trout

Those eyes are insane – you have to watch the slow-mo video on Instagram…

Smooth as buttah. #troutskin #crazyeyes

A video posted by L O L A the P I T T Y (@lolathepitty) on

Our dogs love trout skin and they’re packed with nutrients.

Speaking of treats, here’s a super simple Beef Crunch Frozen Dog Treat recipe we shared recently.

Dog Dogs of Summer

July in pictures…

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Following us on Instagram? Guaranteed pitty smiles and shenanigans. >>> @lolathepitty

Until next month…

How To Make a Wine Barrel Dog Bed

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

Wine barrel, whiskey barrel, you get my drift. They’re adorable. And the perfect size for any dog under 50 pounds-ish. You may have seen them on Pinterest or elsewhere, but once I saw these wine barrel dog beds I knew I had to have one.

That is until I saw the $150-300 price tag. That’s not going to happen. We’ve got a house to buy. New mission: find a wine or whiskey barrel and make my own dog bed.

The first struggle was finding a whiskey or wine barrel that wasn’t $100 itself. I eventually found a full size half-whiskey barrel at The Home Depot for $39 – not bad (although when I went back to buy another they were sold out).

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

To turn this into a dog bed was fairly simple. Here’s how:

Remove the top metal band (this one was held in by a few screws) and we had to use a wedge and hammer to push it down.

This barrel was fairly tall so we decided to take 3″ off the top so we used a marker to measure 3″ down around the diameter where we would make our cut.

From there we drew our line with a Sharpie marking where the opening cut would be made. To get a smooth curve we used a very thin, long piece of wood and bend it to form a “U” shape. My dad held it while I drew the mark on the barrel.

We then turned the barrel on its side and used an electric saw to cut our opening.

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

After the cuts were made it was smooth sailing! We grabbed a couple pieces of coarse sandpaper and smoothed the edges so that no pups were left with wood splinters.

Finally, we used a pair of garden shears to cut the metal band at an angle to follow the curve of the opening and secured it to the side of the barrel with two screws on each side.

Top it off with a $10 bed that you can find at TJ Maxx and you’re ready to go!

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

If you’re spoiled, you’ll even get your name burned in the wood…

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

Life is good!

DIY Wine Barrel Dog Bed | lolathepitty.com

Until your brother steals your bed.

 

My Pittied Life: June

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.com

Happy July, friends.

But first…oh my gosh, she seriously cracks me up. Look close – see those little teefers peeking out!?

My Pittied Life: June | lolathepitty.com

Well, what’s new in June?

Our Flyball career has came to an end.

It’s true. We tried (and tried, and tried) for two years but as of June, Lola will no longer compete in Flyball. I could go on about the issues we had and while we were making progress, it just didn’t work out with the team we were on and the situation we were in. While it’s a little sad, it’s the best thing for Lola (and myself). And while we all think Lola could have continued, everyone felt it was for the best she not.

With that being said, in everything we do with and for our dogs, I feel we should set them up for success. For example, if your dog isn’t great with all dogs, don’t take them to a dog park. Period. It’s about weighing your desire to do something with your dog’s individual needs. And I’ve learned that over the years of being a dog owner. I’ve by no means been perfect.


Doggy Delivery

Okay, not literally, but we finally set up auto-ship for Lola’s food because there’s only one store around here that carries it and sometimes they run out. And it was cheaper online and shows up on my doorstep. Win. Chewy.com rocks…

Lola-pitbull-chewy.com


Our New House…

Or lack thereof. We were supposed to be living in a house of our own by now but typical construction, we’ve been delayed. A couple times. Hopefully by the end of August, well, let’s just say September, we’ll have a yard for these two to run around in (a small one, but a yard nonetheless). I’m not sure what I’m more excited about, the house or not having to take the dogs out on the leash every time they have to pee.


Enjoying Summer – take a peek at what we’ve been up to…

This photo below was just taken today – we’ve been hitting the field and bringing out the disc more often to burn off some energy and enjoy the sunshine and Colorado summer (now…I’m the one that needs practice throwing that darn thing).

My Pittied Life: June | lolathepitty.com

This is Lola’s way of saying, “I’m done”. Too hot. She plops down at the first chance of shade and is a PIA to get going again. Princess status around here.

My Pittied Life: June | lolathepitty.com

Are you following us on Instagram? We’d love if you would! Help us hit 2K! @lolathepitty

Lola the pitty Until next month! Thanks for reading.

 

My Pittied Life | May

Lolathepitty.com

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.com

Seriously, do you remember when you were a kid and adults would say, “Life is short…” and all you could think about was, “No it’s not! This school year has lasted forever”…and then all of a sudden you’re 30, done with high school, done with college, and yeah. Your parents were right.

Well that’s kind of how I’ve felt this past year. It’s June (practically). WTH. I totally missed last month’s issue of My Pittied Life because well, life was a little crazy.

So what’s new!? We’ve been rained out in Colorado for pretty much the entire month, but still sneaking out to the trail or park when we get the chance.

Lolathepitty.com

Did you see Rio’s new collar? We love Amy over at Karma Collars – talk about talent. By the way, if you have a collar obsession lik I do, check out the Collar Stands we started selling on our site and Etsy.

Life and Flyball

If you follow us on Instagram (@lolathepitty), you’ve probably seen this photo taken on the Sheep Draw Trail in Greeley. Lola was a little surprised at the mooing coming out of these ginormous dogs. Hence the hackles raised from shoulder to tail…She cracks me up.

Lolathepitty.com

We’ve also been practicing our flyball skills (or lack thereof). I’m losing confidence that we’ll make a good flyball dog and we’ve experienced a lot of change – new team, new trainers, new environment which I think has come into play. But as of now, we’re not running in the tournaments here, rather just doing “warm-ups” and then I’ve been running an adorable Border-Staffy for a teammate of ours. Fun, but not quite as fun as running your own dog.

And on top of that (just to keep things interesting, ya know) Lola started yelping and biting at her back (mid spine) when we were getting ready to release her. We pulled her off the track for the day and I’ve been in contact with the neuro department at the CSU vet school to make sure she doesn’t have an injury. Right now, it looks like nothing, but we’re keeping at eye on it. Oh Lola…

Soggy Doggy Promo

15% off Soggy Doggy order with code LOLA15 | lolathepitty.com

In other news, there’s just a couple short weeks left with our Soggy Doggy promo code “LOLA15”. Make sure to take advantage of that sale before it’s over. Visit SoggyDoggyDoormat.com (best dog mats, shammies, etc).

Website makeover.

I almost forgot – since I missed last month’s inside scoop, I did a little website makeover. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t. Thoughts? Every once in a while I get the itch for change. Any feedback appreciated.

We’ll make sure to keep everyone updated on our adventures, things might slow down a tad bit here due to some life ‘adventures’ in our horizon, but stay tuned.

-Sarah, Lola, and Rio. 

My Pittied Life: March

lolathepitty.com

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.com

The months are flying by; I can hardly believe it’s been two months since we moved. I also didn’t realize how much I had missed Colorado…it’s so good to be back home. The dogs are completely settled into their routine and so are their humans.

Did you read my post on Tips for Moving with Dogs? Check it out!

Let’s see. What the heck did we do this month?

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.com

Hiking the Poudre River

The second week of March we went up to the Dunraven Trail by the Poudre River with my dad and step-mom. The dogs had a blast and although the trails were still snow-covered, it was 70 degrees and we put in a five or-so mile hike. An added bonus? The dogs were able to play in the river and were both crashed out before we hit the main road back to town.

The Flyball Adventure Continues

A different environment. Different trainers. Plus a different team. But Lola is settling in and the training continues. She challenges me at times (okay, most of the time) but we’re making progress. A lot of her success falls back on me, I truly need to take more time during the week to train, train, train and work on her issues. A never ending process.

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.comExploring Northern Colorado

I’m seriously in love with Colorado and I think I’ve convinced the dogs and boy that I was not exaggerating when bragging about the weather. We’ve had more 70-degree days than not. Plus, we live about a half mile from a beautiful paved trail that covers about 20 miles of countryside and growing towns. Biking, jogging, taking the dogs for walks – you name it. Plus, right off the trail is a large dog park which we’ve made a few pit stops for on our walks. This trail alone is helping the dogs get into tip-top shape, not to mention myself.

Lola the Pitty is a “Pet Blog to Watch”!

We we’re honored and thrilled when Victoria Stilwell listed us as one of the top 10 Pet Blogs to Watch! It’s so much fun to watch my blog grow and meet new friends along the way. So if you’re reading this – thank you. It means a lot to us.

Dog Collar Stands 

If you didn’t know this, my dad is an extremely talented woodworker. And I am extremely good at giving him ideas of things to make. Including this collar stand for one of the other things I’m really good at: collecting dog collars. Check ’em out on our Etsy shop!

Dog Collar Stand by Lolathepitty.com | https://www.etsy.com/listing/225160167/dog-collar-stand?ref=shop_home_active_1

Until next month…

Moving With Dogs

4 Tips for Moving With Dogs | Lolathepitty.com

4 Tips for Moving With Dogs | Lolathepitty.com

Where do I begin? Moving with dogs can be, well…stressful (for you and the dogs). Moving 860 miles with two dogs is no different. We recently moved to Colorado (January of 2015) from Minnesota and of course, hauled the two mutts and most of our stuff with us. The cheap Ikea furniture – yeah, that was either a. donated or b. given away. Ikea stuff, while I love some of it, is only good for about one move and quite frankly, I wasn’t about to pay $500 extra dollars to move a $69 TV stand. That may be a big of an exaggeration, but you get what I mean.

So among all of the packing for weeks (or months in my case), moving boxes down stairs, deep cleaning, and finally – hauling every last thing out of your house, are your pets who have no idea whatsoever about the situation. All they know is that it’s changing. Change can be scary, for some animals more than others.

Rio is typically our cool-headed, go with the flow kinda dog. He’s never really stressed out in situations and has handled everything we’ve thrown at him without batting an eye. I’m still uncertain if he doesn’t ever really know what’s going on, or he’s just that type of dog.

Lola on the other hand – she can be a bit of a (for lack of a better word)…spaz. She gets easily stressed, the suitcase comes out and she’s on guard. The keys get picked up and she is waiting at the top of the stairs, in attempt to block you from leaving. Or hoping she can come with. Probably the latter.

As you can imagine, the big move impacted them both. But I made sure to keep them both as comfortable as possible during the process and I have no doubt that it helped. Inevitably you’ll experience a move at some point in your life and hopefully, your dog(s) will be coming with, in that case – here are some tips from our experience that I hope will help you!

4 tips for moving with your dog: 

1. Keep their world as peaceful as you can, for as long as you can

As I mentioned, boxes were being packed months in advance in our circumstance. I was aware of the move and wanted as much time as possible to plan for it. Of course, this isn’t always the case with everyone, but I hate not being prepared.

Pack up their stuff at the last minute possible. For us, this was the night before we moved. We loaded the kennels in the car and had a box set aside for their toys. Okay, more like three boxes, but yeah.

2. If possible, introduce them to their new environment before moving

For us, we had been to Colorado several times with the dogs and they had stayed the night in my family’s house, who we are staying with until we are able to move into our new house. It was kind of like a vacation, we just never went “home”.

3. Keep familiar scents and  around once moved

Blankets, crates, toys, etc. Keep all of your dog’s belongings with your dog. This is another reason why I’m a believer in crating – it’s their ‘safe place’ and a familiar place that is their own little home, the only thing different about it is it’ll be in a new place, but it looks the same inside and smells the same, this should provide your dog with comfort.

4. Keep their schedule regular

Dogs rely on schedules. I don’t know about your pups, but if we forget a meal around here, Lola and Rio are sure to remind us. Keeping their potty schedule, walks, trip to the park, feeding schedule, etc. the same will mean less change for your dog.


I won’t lie though, even with all of the precautions we took, come move day, Lola and Rio were clearly stressed. We had to drive separate of course because we had two cars to take down to Colorado. Lola went with her dad for most of the way, and Rio with me. Surprisingly, Rio was pretty much freaking out. He was panting, unsettled, and didn’t even want his peanut butter filled Kong which we had made for him the night before (unheard of). He knew something was different and I think it really hit him the two nights before the drive when the house we were living it was literally emptied out and we stayed at my mom’s the night before the drive. I don’t think any of us slept for those 48 hours, but it’s over.

A week or so after settling in Colorado, the dogs were back to their normal selves. It was probably a little before that, but the couple days before the move was unsettling to them, the drive down, and of course once we arrived in Colorado they were a little unsettled for a couple of days.

A few signs your dog is stressed/worried:

  • panting
  • yawning
  • pacing
  • unsettled
  • acting out
  • not eating

Have you moved with your dog? What have you found to help them transition? Share in the comments below.

My Pittied Life: February

My Pittied Life - Lolathepitty.com

We have a lot to catch up on. After all, we missed last month’s issue of My Pittied Life…my apologies. I was most likely sorting through boxes of who knows what, taking car loads of crap to the Goodwill, or dragging 83 boxes of stuff down two flights of stairs in the process of moving.

Many of you know, we are now living in Colorado but we have quite a few other things to chat about. Did I mention, the whole moving part sucks?

Lovin’ Colorado

My Pittied Life: February | lolathepitty.com

Colorado has been awesome and amazing to us since we arrived! But I really had no doubts. It’s great to be back “home” and hey, with 70 degree days in February – no one can complain. This picture above was taken on Valentine’s Day. Every now and then (okay, like every day) I tend to open my weather app and compare Minnesota temps to Colorado and then laugh a little and ask myself why it took so long to get back home. Lola and Rio are obviously loving it, too. We haven’t had to bust out the dog jackets in quite some time. Although as I type, we’re expecting a big snow storm – which I can totally handle. It’s the extended stay of the negative temps that really got to me in Minne.

We’re finally getting a fence!

This seems like a silly thing to get pumped about, but as of this summer we’re finally going to have a YARD with a fence and we’ll officially be homeowners! While the house is the highlight here, the whole fence + yard part is something I’m definitely looking forward to.

PetBox

It was a good month for the dogs as they received their very first PetBox (I was pleasantly surprised at the cute box, and how well-packaged it was) and, as you can tell, Lola was not shy about her excitement.

My Pittied Life: February | PetBox Review! | lolathepitty.com

  •  ZippyPaws Crinkle Dragonfly – This is a cute plush toy, but seems fairly cheap and I’m not really sure how it’s still ‘alive’…but it is. The wings are crinkly and there is a squeaker in the body of the toy so we have to watch the dogs with it to make sure they don’t eat the squeaker.
  • Petstages Dental Twist – this was our favorite item in the box, but Rio has already shredded the bottom – we have to monitor him with any fabric as he’ll most likely eat it. Lola is a little better, but he tends to steal it if she is playing with it. Siblings, haha.
  • Old Mother Hubbard P-Nuttier Treats – I’m sure Rio will enjoy these. Sorry, Lola – whole wheat flour and chicken are listed in the ingredients.
  • Evanger’s Beef Dinner with Spinach and Kale – this looks like a good canned dog food that is well received on Dog Food Advisor – I’ll be adding a spoonful or two on top of their food for a little extra treat. I was happy to see that it was not chicken and was grain free.
  • Fetch TopsyTurvies hippo snail dog toy – was this in the box? It last approximately three minutes. Sorry hippo-snail, rest in peace.
  • Pet Greens Treats – The dogs were crazy about these and I was happy to see a limited ingredient dog treat that contained no fillers or grains.

As you can see it was a busy month filled with adventures, settling into our new (temporary) home while our house is being built and fun packages in the mail (for the dogs anyways). Life is good. We’ll catch up with ya next month!

Thanks for reading.

Stay up to date with our adventures on Instagram (@lolathepitty)!

Monster Holiday Drive Wrap-Up

In October of 2014, Amaya and I decided to participate in the 3rd Annual Monster Holiday Drive with our two little “elves”, Lola and Tater Tot.

This week, after lots of sorting, counting (thanks, Amaya), and organizing (plus working and getting ready to move…) we can finally say all of the donations are in the hands of Across America Boxer Rescue and Heading Home K9 Rescue.

The success of our drive was mind-blowing. We had shipments coming in from across the country practically every day, until mid December. The generosity is very much appreciated by all of us!

When I called Darren, the director of Across America Boxer Rescue and asked him if he had a place to store all of the donations, his reply was, “Well how much are we talking about?”.

“An SUVs worth…” was my reply.

And it took just that – we filled up the entire backseat and cargo area of his SUV plus an equal amount went to Heading Home K9.

But the real people to thank here are our fans and friends. Because of all of you we were able to make this possible. Thank you.

Monster Holiday Drive Wrap-Up | Lolathepitty.com
Amaya, Tater, Me!, Lola and Darren of Across America Boxer Rescue
Monster Holiday Drive Wrap-Up | Lolathepitty.com
Heading Home K9 Rescue

The total amount in donations: $4,689.72

A special thanks to the following companies who sponsored the Monster Holiday Drive and shipped us an abundance of product!

KONG

BarkBox

Earth Rated

Coastal Pet Products, Inc.

Monster Holiday Drive - lolathepitty.com

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making this possible! I know a ton of dogs who will have full bellies, toys to play with, and a comfy bed to lie on because of the group effort in our Monster Holiday Drive.

Stay up to date with us on our Facebook pages:

Lola the Pitty and Tater Tot

Monster Holiday Drive Wrap-Up | Lolathepitty.com   Monster Holiday Drive Wrap-Up | Lolathepitty.com