Did we really need another reason to avoid Amsterdam? The following story out of the Netherlands' most recognizable city is a genuine "head-scratcher."After a long day of hunting, there's nothing like wrapping your paw around a cold bottle of beer. So Terrie Berenden, a pet shop owner in the Southern Dutch town of Zelhem, created a beer for her Weimeraners made from beef extract and malt.
"Once a year we go to Austria to hunt with our dogs, and at the end of the day we sit on the veranda and drink a beer. So we thought, my dog also has earned it," she said.
Berenden consigned a local brewery to make and bottle the nonalcoholic beer, branded and Kwispelbier. It was introduced to the market last week and advertised as "a beer for your best friend."
"Kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail.
The beer is fit for human consumption, Berenden said. But at euro1.65 ($2.14) per bottle, it's about four times more expensive than a Heineken.
Yes, this is a real story!
A beverage responsible for ruining a countless number of men, women, and families appears poised to contribute the downfall of the canine species. As the story says, this this is a non-alcoholic beverage......for now. I suppose it won't be long until we hear barks and growls from all over Europe demanding the full fermented version.
I can see it now.....an inebriated Dachshund is beaten to death after he charges a 100-pound Rottweiler due to the fact that he didn't like his "tone" of barking. A once respected Dalmatian loses his job at the fire station because he could not show up for work on time without a hangover. A black Lab seeing eye dog leads his handler into oncoming traffic after a late night at Fido's Tavern.
Ridiculous? Sure. That's the point. Yet, is it really any more ridiculous than succumbing to the manifold dangers of strong drink? Study the text of the Bible on this subject and you will be presented with a crystal clear picture of shattered lives, dangerous situations, and a condemned soul. The Bible says:
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.Organizations such as P.E.T.A. and the A.S.P.C.A. (the latter of which I am a
Proverbs 20:1, ESV
big fan) would be "out for blood" if someone were to coax an animal to ingest an intoxicating substance such as alcohol........and rightly so! How strange, then, is our society's affinity for glamorizing the alcohol industry? Strange indeed. Personally, I wouldn't pour anything down my own throat that I would refuse to allow my canine sons (Angus and Louis) to drink!!
r2
