Man's best friend now a drinking buddy?

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ST. PAUL, Minn., June 17 (UPI) -- Dogs can slurp a cold one to beat the heat of the dog days of summer with a non-alcoholic brew created by a Seattle company.

Jenny Brown, who founded the company that makes Bowser Beer, said her creation was a natural companion to the doggie pretzels she sells, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Sunday.

"It just seemed like the dogs would want a beer with their pretzels," said Brown.

Derrick Kunes, interim marketing manager for Axel's Bonfire restaurants in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, offered free samples of the brew last summer at the Paws on Grand festival and said he'll do it again at the festival Aug. 5.

"It's for the celebration of the dog days of summer," Kunes told the Pioneer Press.

Regular beer is hazardous to dogs because the hops are toxic, dogs don't care for the fizz and alcohol is harmful, Brown said. After more than a year of research, she developed a flat broth mixture with barley and fortified with vitamins and glucosamine.

Bowser Beer comes in two flavors: Beefy Brown Ale and chicken-flavored Cock-a-Doodle-Brew.