The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

'Dingo Dog' brewery donates profits to no-kill animal shelters

hurricane matthew
hurricane matthew

Tim Schwarzauer, who is also the grants coordinator for the town of Chapel Hill, is opening the brewery right outside Carrboro after years of brewing experience.

Dingo Dog Brewing Company is a nonprofit brewery where all proceeds go to no-kill animal shelters and animal welfare groups.

“I’m from Mississippi originally and my family started a no-kill animal sanctuary after Hurricane Katrina hit back in 2006 — it has since become one of the biggest in the state,” Schwarzauer said. “I continued to help them run it throughout college and since then I have carried the passion of animal welfare and rescue with me.”

The brewery is named after Schwarzauer’s dog, Dingo, a 17-year-old terrier he rescued in 2003. Schwarzauer came up with the idea for a non-profit brewery in support of animal welfare when he noticed how unreliable donations can be for animal welfare organizations.

“I’ve been picking around for a few years trying to find a way to provide a more sustainable source of funding for these organizations, because I know how ebb-and-flow solely relying on donations for these charities can be,” he said. “The needs for caring for these animals is 24/7, 365 days a year, though.”

With a brewery currently located on PlowGirl Farm, Schwarzauer hopes to expand by opening a taproom in the next year. He said ideally they will find a location where they can have a green, fenced space for dogs to run and play while owners enjoy socializing with others from the community.

“After moving up here five years ago, I fell in love with the beer scene,” Schwarzauer said. “It just seemed like a natural fit — everywhere you go, brewing and dogs just seem to go together and it’s a fun way for the community to come together.”

In addition to building a taprooms, the company also hopes to obtain a winery license in order to serve ciders. They will also be creating a grant system in which no-kill animal shelters and advocacy groups can apply for support.

Several organizations, including Paws4ever, a non-profit animal welfare center located in Mebane, have already partnered with the brewery in order to raise awareness of their causes.

Paws4ever provides education on animal health, adoption and dog training services.

Kathryn Ruggeri, executive director of Paws4Ever, said she is excited about working with the brewery.

“I think Dingo Dog Brewing is fantastic — they are a great supporter of animals for our community,” Ruggeri said. “I think it’s a perfect alignment — we want to support new business within the community and they are creating more awareness for animal welfare within the community.”

Coalition to Unchain Dogs, based in Durham, is an organization that works in underserved parts of the community to provide free veterinary services including spay and neuter operations and vaccinations.

Lori Hensley, director of operations for Coalition to Unchain Dogs, said the brewery shares information about their free services.

The community’s reaction to the brewery has been overwhelmingly supportive, with the first two runs of beer selling out, Schwarzauer said.

“We think this is a great way to not only make people knowledgeable about the work we are doing, but also become involved in animal welfare and overall just make the community a better place,” Hensley said.

@sam_scott138

city@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.