Paws & Pints Unique Job Titles: Dog Park Bouncer and Executive Chef

In this delightful episode of "Dog Friendly," host Brandon Bennett interviews two standout employees from Paws & Pints, showcasing the diverse talents that contribute to this beloved dog-friendly establishment. First up is Brad Berkley Bouncer, the dedicated dog park specialist responsible for maintaining order and fun in the park. As a passionate dog owner of three pups himself, Bouncer shares his insights into managing the dynamics of the dog park, ensuring that every furry guest has a safe and enjoyable experience. His enthusiasm for canine behavior and community shines through, making it clear that he truly cares about the well-being of all the dogs he oversees.

Part 2 of the episode we sit down with AJ Brigs executive chef, who creatively blends the worlds of gourmet human cuisine and nutritious dog food. He discusses his innovative approach to crafting a menu that caters to both pets and their owners, ensuring that every dish is crafted with care and quality ingredients. The chef’s passion for animal welfare is evident as he shares the thoughtful process behind developing tasty, healthy options for dogs and humans alike, making Paws & Pints a unique dining destination for all.

This episode perfectly captures the spirit of Paws & Pints, highlighting how the dedicated team works collaboratively to create a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the behind-the-scenes operations of a dog-friendly venue and be inspired by the commitment of and the chef to fostering community through their love for dogs and good food. Tune in for an engaging conversation that celebrates the joy of integrating dogs into our lives and the innovative approaches that make Paws & Pints truly special! 

Paws & Pints - Paws & Pints is an innovative dog daycare and brewery that caters to dog lovers, offering a unique space where furry friends can play while their humans enjoy a freshly brewed beverage. Located in a vibrant community, Paws & Pints provides a welcoming environment for both pets and their owners, featuring dog-friendly activities and events. The combination of quality care for dogs and a laid-back brewery atmosphere makes it a beloved destination for those looking to socialize their pets while relaxing with friends.

Treatly - Treatly is quickly establishing itself as a standout brand within the PetWise family, positioning itself as a leader in the dog treat market with a strong commitment to pet health and wellness. Based in Mundelein, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, Treatly combines the expertise of an industry-leading team to create high-quality treats and chews designed with the modern pet parent in mind.

What sets Treatly apart is their mission to not only provide tasty snacks but to also prioritize the health needs of pets. In a market where many brands focus solely on flavor, Treatly takes a holistic approach by emphasizing the importance of nutrition and natural ingredients. Their products are crafted to foster pet wellness, catering to the growing demand for treats that contribute positively to a dog's overall health.

Overall, Treatly dog treats are a fantastic addition to any dog's diet, embodying a perfect blend of nutrition and flavor that both pets and their owners will appreciate.

Alpinehowl.com for your Handcrafted apparel for dogs and matching hats for their best friends.

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Dog Friendly Podcast TM

Transcript

  Good morning, dog lovers. Welcome to Dog Friendly, the podcast where we celebrate the joy of dogs and the adventures we share with them. I'm your host, Brandon Bennett from Alpine Howl.  Each week, I take you to dog friendly locations to chat with passionate dog owners about their furry companions and the unforgettable experiences They've had together. 

We'll also hear from experts, who share valuable insights on training, health, and making the most out of our time with our canine pals. All while enjoying the great outdoors. So whether you're a seasoned pup parent, or just a dog lover, grab your leash, maybe a libation, and join us as we enjoy the world of dogs, and incredible adventures that await.

Let's dive in to today's episode.  Happy February 4th everybody. Good to be alive. Good to have some dog snuggles. Hope you woke up just like I did with some dog cuddles and dog kisses. Mine are already fed. But today's episode we go back to Paws and Pints.  We have two people on this week's episode. Part one, part two.

Part one we talk with Brad Berkley. The doggy bouncer at Paws and Pints, I'll let you think about that one. And then part two, AJ Briggs, he is the dog executive chef at Paws and Pints. What two unique positions. If this world isn't filled with some interesting jobs you can get out there, I mean, I don't know what's going on, but this is fantastic.

They're good humans.  Love for dogs and passion for this, these exciting positions.  It was fun. We, we were out there this last summer. I have a bunch of episodes with a lot of employees, but I wanted to put these two back to back because they were such unique positions. And they tell us a little bit about them.

Take them away, Brad and AJ.  You can roll.  Brad, it's nice to meet you. So, you can tell it, say your full name and what What do you do? Hi there, I'm, I'm Brad Berkley out of Des Moines, Iowa. I am a dog park specialist or otherwise known as a dog bouncer. Dog bouncer. Dog bouncer. We have a very active dog park and we want to make sure it's safe for everybody.

How do you get into dog bouncing? Uh, I have a, uh, background in behavioral dog handling. Oh. So, it got a little, you know what I'm saying, behavioral dogs, they get a little dangerous sometimes. And going to the private sector really made the difference. There's a lot of friendly dogs up here. It's a really nice place.

And what did, what got you into the, the behavioral  piece in the first place?  I feel like there's a big need for that. I feel like people that can handle behavioral dogs should be volunteering and handling behavioral dogs. Because there is a significant need for it. Yeah.  How long have you been doing it?

Five years. So this place has been open about two, so where did you start? I started with non profit shelters out of West Des Moines and then some out of North Ankeny.  So you're  an Iowa native? Yeah, yeah. This is just my part time. Oh, okay, that's cool.  So, do you have dogs? I do have dogs. What do you have? I have a Staffordshire Terrier, a Pimple, and a Doberman.

You have three. We have a busy house. Okay. Alright, alright. Uh, names, and, and how big are they? What, how old? We got, Enzo is our oldest at eight, and he is a Doberman at about 75 pounds. Ares is our Staffordshire, and he's about 78 pounds, a little bit of a thicker boy. Holy cow. And Ali's probably about 55 60 pounds.

So you have some big dogs. I mean, how do you handle that? I mean, it's, it's easy. We got a lot of people in my house. We got my wife, my kids. So everybody's kind of on top of that.  They don't, they don't really mix so well up here. You know, some dogs are just not meant for the dog park. And that's kind of my And so, do people take turns?

Do you walk them? Do you have a big area? Things like that? How does your, what's your day look like at home?  Well, a lot of my day is spent working, but typically I'll wake up, run the dogs out, let them get out, stretch some legs. Sure. Um, they're kind of couch potatoes these days, so. How old are they? Uh, okay, so Enzo's eight, Ares is four, and Allie is two.

Okay. So. Not too old. No, no, not, they're not putting the ears on them yet, that's for sure. For sure, for sure. And how long have you had, uh, uh, have you had, did you have dogs growing up? Yes, oh definitely. What kind of dogs? Uh, I had labs mostly growing up, but a couple mutts along the way too. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so when you were growing up, what was like the fondest memory you had of, of Having a dog in the, in the household.

Oh man. Oh that's hard. There was a lot of them because where I grew up it was kind of a rural setting. Okay. So a lot of, a lot of my friends my formative years were dogs because, you know, just walk around the pasture with them, pasture woods, you name it. Just going around and that's, I mean, it's not the specific ones as much as the feeling of it, you know.

Sure. Just, just knowing and remembering that. Yeah, and uh, what, what, what kept you going, uh, about dogs?  What, what drove you to, to get you to where you are today? Oh man, that's a, that's a complicated question. Um, with my other job I, I deal with fire alarm engineering and seeing some of the dogs in the shelter setting Okay.

really led to like, oh man, a lot of these dogs probably don't need to be euthanized  for behavior if somebody would just have the time to work with them. Sure. It kind of opened the door to me volunteering a little bit and getting a little bit of experience under my belt. Okay. And so when you're, uh, here What's the most challenging part of your day? 

I'm gonna keep drilling The most challenging part of the day is I you know, sometimes it's really hard to manage the human expectations You know, I think a lot of people have the Hallmark Channel perception of what a dog park should be Yeah,  not every dog is great in that environment And so it's the people are sometimes the challenge and not really the dogs first  Most of the canines that come up here are real friendly, so it's, it's um, I mean, as far as challenging goes, I wouldn't say that, I mean, it's, it's different up here, it's like working at the dog Disney World, so, I mean, they'll pay you to pet dogs, clean up after dogs, that kind of thing, for sure. 

Okay, well, um, you know, you're dealing with the humans, and so, what's, what's your favorite part of the job? Uh, Oh man, I get asked this question a lot because it is the part time and it's, it's definitely feeling like the uncle to five, 600 different dogs that are, you know, you know, by name and they come in and see you and it's good feelings and you get to make a lot of friends that way, you know, not just dogs. 

Yeah, you know, it seems like, you know, you call it dog bouncer and  it's, it seems like more of like a dog uncle, right? It is because sometimes we just encourage them to be spicy as well.  Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, kind of come out of the shell a little bit from time to time. And, uh, you know, you have a bunch of coworkers here.

Yeah. And you, it seems like it's just a big family.  It is. It very much is. It's um.  We're all kind of common bonded, it's a love of dogs that all kind of brought us here and getting to, you know, getting over that first social hump of like, well, how do we know each other? Yeah, we love dogs. Yeah, yeah, that's neat.

Um, you, you, you have the, the, the previous experience. Um, you're, you're working here. What,  what is something in your mind that you can, you can tell others out in the world about dogs that they may not know? From your, from your perspective, you know, the behavioral, you know, maybe it's a tip about handling their dogs in such settings like this.

What's something that you could give out as some just honest feedback? There's, there's no better teacher than a dog itself. Okay. If you think that you can interrupt, you know, nature, you can, you can modify behavior, you know, but it's, the dog is really going to be Especially when it comes to social aspects, you know, they're going to be able to correct other dogs and tell dogs what they like and don't like much sooner than we are.

So sometimes it's important to let the dog take the wheel. Um, other times there's times to intervene, but usually it doesn't come to that. Usually they're pretty communicative animals. Yeah, that's pretty amazing and astute. I have a healer and she can get a little snarky once in a while. So I, I, you know, people look at her, she's a ripcord.

I usually let it play out. Sure, sure. I also think that the human aspect of it seems to get in the way. And I'm sure you have that experience more often than most people. Well, yeah, I mean, to some extent. I mean, no one wants to see their love and joy, their tiny fur child hurt or anything like that. But a lot of times it's the premature intervention that sees people and or animals hurt, you know.

It's not often that it happens, indefinitely.  Just not very often here at all. This place is just, it's just amazing. Everyone I've talked to today, yourself included, it just seems like everyone just has, you know, just that passion for the people and the dogs.  I think so. I, I would absolutely agree with that.

And I think it starts with our owners, Kyle and Megan. And not to, you know, not to toot the boss's horn or anything. No, no.  Everyone's been saying it's great. It starts, their, their love and caring about dogs is just so contagious. And they spread that and, you know, the, if you look at the way that the facility's even designed, it has the dog in mind before the human and it's fantastic.

Yeah. And it's, uh, it starts at the top and they're really good at communicating it. Yeah. And it's hard to have a bad day here, honestly. Yeah, I would say, like, it's, there's almost no bad days. It was interesting, you and I, we saw my pup run through. Even the doors seemed like they were, like, thought of for the dogs.

It's gotta have one opens, but the other one's still closed, so it's not getting into the restaurant, that kind of thing. It's, it's crazy how much thought went into this place. They really, they really thought about every eventuality. It's pretty cool. Yeah, that's, that's really neat. Um, so, one thing that we ask all of, uh, the people on our podcast, so this is dog friendly, we go around, uh, breweries, distilleries, and we just interview people about their dogs.

One of the things that I always ask is, you have three dogs, if the dogs could talk, what would be something they would say?  Well, I suppose it depends about the topic. They've, they've got a lot to say, you know? Lay it on us, because some people are just tongue tied and they don't know. I, I know mine was just this, Oh, dad, dad, dad, you know, that kind of thing.

Yeah, oh, oh, it's definitely the dad, dad, dad stuff, but it depends. Is it a bunny in the yard? Because they're really upset about bunnies in the yard. You know, they would talk to me about that all day if they could. Sure, that's great.  Um, ah, what would they say? They, they would be a hungry a lot more than I think they would be. 

So I think that's what they'd go after. Sweet.  Anything else? Anything else they would say? Um, no, I don't think they would say. They're pretty well pampered and taken care of, you know. I mean, they could always say more, but we all know that's not quite true. Sure, sure, sure, sure. Well, these are just quick conversations.

I appreciate you for being here.  It's always a joy to listen to and talk to people in settings like this that, you know, we can talk back and forth and get an understanding of someone in your position that, you know, I don't talk to dog bouncers every day. It's usually just, you know, the common person.

It's just like, they just have dogs, that kind of thing. But you have both worlds. You have three dogs and you're Sure, man. It's very entrenched in the lifestyle. That's for sure. Well, thanks for sitting down and asking because, you know, again, it's just fun to talk with people and get their insight. And I really appreciate it.

Oh, man. Thanks. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks for stopping by.  Thank you so much, Brad, for sitting down and talking with us about your unique position at Paws and Pints. The Doggie Bouncer. Keeping those dogs tails wagging and separated. And, uh, happy smiles for everybody, so. No one's biting hands off and finger, losing a finger. 

Next up, we do have A. J. Briggs, the executive chef, in charge of one of our loves in life, to eat food, and to make food for humans and their furry friends. How cool is that?  Super, uh, good conversation. Interesting, uh, his background. Doesn't have a dog, but in, in the market, perhaps. Maybe he's got one now, since it's been a hot minute since we were there.

But  Just remember this Podcast is written and produced by alpine howl Alpine howl you can get handcrafted scarves for your dogs and matching hats for your humans How awesome is that alpine howl comm? Get yours while they're hot. Well while it's cold out. It is chilly out there. So Keep those dogs warm in your head as well.

And then take some great pictures. Post them to the gram, the TikTok, whatever. Send them on over. We want to see what you all look like. alpinehowl. com Get yours today. Let's get into our second part. 

Can you hear me all right? Okay, cool. Uh, just, uh, your first and last name and, uh, what do you do? Uh, my name is A. J. Briggs and I am the executive chef here. Executive chef at a Paws and Pints. What does that entail? I mean, tell me a little bit about what you do. So, I create menus for the humans and the dogs. 

Everybody fed, and their pups fed. Okay, wait a minute. You have menus for the dogs? Yeah. Alright, go, walk me through this. What, what is, what, where is the inspiration for that? Let's start there. So, that one is a wonky one. So when I first started, I had never made food for dogs before. Okay. But that's super popular the past couple years.

Everybody wants to take their dog everywhere. Yeah. So, we got here and I slowly learned we had a menu for motel dogs. They get, you know, if you reserve a certain amount, they get a meal with it. Okay. And they're there for so long. And then, even if you're here on the patio or in the yard, you can order  some food for your pup.

Okay. We have, uh, doggy beer, which is essentially some beef broth. Okay, sure. But, you gotta keep up with the names. Yeah, yeah. Some little meatballs, uh, some doggy beef stew. Yeah, yeah. And then, um, all day breakfast. So, wide range, and then, uh, we actually make our own, uh, doggy jerky in the house. Well, okay, wait.

So, we're gonna get to a, we got a couple questions about this. So, what, what is a, what's a, what, what is a meal for a dog that's staying here? What, what's, what are they getting? So, um, if they stay here for a certain amount of time, they get a pre meal, so they can choose from any of our options, so turkey meatballs, beef stew, breakfast, stuff like that.

Okay, and you're coming up with this? Yeah, oh yeah. I change it, uh, every three months or so. We mix it up and then Sometimes we'll do a special feature and stuff like that. That's actually what I'm working on right now is our next doggy feature. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Um, it's shaved ice for dogs.

That's as close as I'll give it to you. Oh, cool. I mean, it's hot out. Yeah, exactly. That's awesome. Exactly, that'll be a way to cool down your pub. Yeah, definitely. So a doggy menu. I mean, did you ever think you would be doing that? I mean, so I'm originally from Colorado. Oh, me too. And every time  You know, you go downtown, you go on 16th street, nothing like you saw dogs everywhere.

So, it was a matter of time before dogs got their own menu. So I saw it coming, I saw it coming.  What brought you to Iowa? So I used to work for a restaurant group, and uh, we actually ended up, they ended up opening one here. And I ended up transferring with them.  And then, didn't work out too well, and then I found Paws and Planks.

Pause. And how long have you been here? Uh, almost a year now. Okay. About, I think I started last October. Okay. And what's your favorite part of being at Paw and Pines? Um,  I get a, I have creative control.  Cool. I worked for corporations pretty much all my life. I've been picked for about 10, 12 years now. And during those 10 to 12 years, it was always somebody else's menu.

Yeah. So here they were like, make a good food, make sure it sells. Other than that, we'll leave you alone. No micromanaging, stuff like that. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm pumped that I get to talk to you. You're in charge of that. Because when I go somewhere, I want to make sure they have food. Yeah, exactly. And that's important.

And, you know, making it for their dogs too. I mean, that, that throws a curveball. Yeah, yeah. I was gonna say, like, is that, is that difficult? No, because, and this is the thing that, like, I thought it, I thought it was gonna be something totally different, something like that, but essentially all of the food that we make for pups and everything is human grade.

Okay. So right now, I wouldn't recommend it just because it has, doesn't have seasoning or anything. Sure, sure. But any of our pup meals right now, you can eat. Okay. Wow. We just don't use seasonings in it because obviously it all sets the puff stomach and whatnot. And where did you learn cooking or, or, or chef?

So I went to, uh, culinary school in Colorado. So I grew up in a small town in Colorado and then moved up to Denver. Okay. And then there in Denver I went to culinary school for about two and a half years, got my associates. Nice. And then that's where I learned my array of cooking techniques and stuff. And what's your favorite part of cooking?

Um,  So, I am definitely like a chef rather than a baker. Okay. So, the difference between baking, you have to be exact. With cooking, it's like, I'm gonna throw a dash of this and then I'm gonna throw a dash of that in there. So, I think that having the autonomy to just work on the fly is definitely my go to.

Ah, that's so cool. And do you have a dog or dogs? No, not yet. Oh, okay. Alright. I know, I'm one of the few that doesn't have a puppy. That's okay. You got anything in mind? What's your Ah, the dream dog. Always been a dream dog since I was This wee little lad is, uh, English Bulldog. Oh, that's cool. English Bulldog.

English Bulldog represents me as a person. Sure. I am, so I definitely. They say that the dogs we get, they look like us, right? Yeah, exactly. That part of it. Did you grow up with dogs? Uh, yeah. I grew up with, um, so, I grew up on a ranch, so I'm used to all types of animals. Yeah. Um, and then my whole family throughout my life.

And their life have had nothing but Boston Terriers. Oh, interesting. So, uh, my brother's out in Kansas city right now. He has four Boston Terriers. Four. Oh yeah. Wow. Oh yeah. I mean, I hear three, you know, two for sure, but like. four. Yeah, it's that's a handful. Well, it's like Megan, you talked to her. Yeah, I know.

It's like Bernie's bless her soul. I mean, that those dogs are huge. Oh yeah, I cook for them all the time too. We got them on their own little plan. I was going to say, well, how much do they eat  those? Uh, what was it? They go through,  we'll make like a beef stew recipe for them and they'll go through about five pounds. 

A week or so, which I mean, a giant chub of five pounds of ground beef is a lot more than you think it is. It does, totally. But, you know, for four or five dollars, she's got the eighth of our, right? Yeah. And with all their allergies and stuff like that, so.  What's the, uh, what's the most popular thing on the human menu?

Uh, right now, the carne asada, anything is super popular right now, so that is. Oh, okay. One of my recipes, I've had that recipe, my stepdad showed that to me when I was a little kid, so the carne asada. We have fries and tacos right now. Okay, so that's super popular, um, and then my recommendation for it is to put the green sauce on it.

Okay. So that green sauce actually won me a competition in Denver. What? Yeah, it was a top taco, I believe is what it was called. Cool. So it is avocado mint sauce.  But it has a little bit of habanero in it, so it's sweet, spicy, and it cools itself off. That's my jam. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because everybody gets scared because of the habanero.

Yeah. The mint and the honey cools it out for you.  Cool. Super bright. I think that's what I'm going to have to have for lunch today. I think I'm going to order that for sure. That's awesome. Yeah. Um, well, thank you so much for sitting down and talking. You know, just brief, it's good to, you know, hear what people are doing here.

Yeah. And such a cool concept and, uh, you know. Yeah, it's definitely, it's It's unique, it's unique, and it's super cool. And you're in charge of making food for dogs, it's so cool, like, it's just such a bizarre concept, and, you know, and I'm, I'm pumped, I mean, it's just such a cool thing. You're gonna, you're gonna devour those corners.

I'm, I'm, dude, once I get through a couple of these, I'm, I'm ordering it, it's, it's coming up, so. Thank you so much. Yeah, of course. Appreciate it, absolutely, man, heck yeah. 

Thank you so much, AJ. Cool position. I'm intrigued. I'm hungry. Just thinking about it. I did have Burger while I was there and it was fantastic the dogs. I'm not sure if they ate they had a mini stay So if anything, we're just popping treats to them, but that's alright We'll have to swing back in when we take our my next trip around the country stopping at all the dog friendly places and giving you reviews on Uh, what's going on?

But, uh, speaking of reviews, let's get into it. This week,  I'm talking about Treatly,  a 100 percent U. S. made, uh, dog,  uh, dog treats, and I got these, stumbled upon them from a friend of mine that recommended them, and they are fantastic. I get them, uh, Shipped to me on a schedule through Amazon. Yeah, I know we, we all talk about Amazon, but, uh, in their defense, uh, treat lee pet.com does not sell them.

Uh, they do go through their various, uh, chew toys, or, I'm sorry, chew treats. Uh, small, medium. Size dogs and large dogs. They have a whole wide variety collagen chews  American source beef hide combo chews Plant wise a plant based I presume the beef cheeks I'm just reading that information off the website to give you a little  insight into what All of that, uh, what they have.

Uh, but I get the collagen chews, they are braided. Uh, they're about six and a half inches long. My dogs love them. Uh, my healer takes them outside immediately and chews on them a little bit and then, uh, puts it, saves it for later in the ground. But, uh,  the other one, he scarfs his down. Uh, the pity mix, he's 55 pounds.

He takes about, uh, Five minutes to chew it. So he's really getting through it quickly, but they're for medium dogs my specific ones uh, 100 source and handcrafted in the u. s Uh us source beef hide are they say they're naturally thicker resulting in longer lasting chews I mean depends on the dog and I guess you know, it's What it's going through that it wants to eat through it again.

My pity takes a while the the the healer She's 44 pounds.  She takes a little longer, but she's also got you know, a different instinct in her  It says highly digestible certified 99 percent digestible by third party promotes dental health and hygiene We're reducing plaque and tartar to helps reduce boredom and anxiety and pets.

No doubt about that Like I said my pity it's a little short lasting probably gonna bump up to the large see how those are going  Fantastic definitely giving them four out of five  Go on amazon. com get them try them  not yourself, but your pups and Make sure you're keeping an eye on them while they're chewing them because you want to make sure they're They're getting through those and not choking, like anything, but, uh, That's all we have this week.

And that's a wrap for this week. Uh, next week's episode, we're gonna be sitting down with Janine  Heinbuch.  I know I probably butchered that, but, uh, we're sitting down at Grossenbart Brewery this Thursday. Come on by if you want to talk as well. And we're gonna talk about her involvement in the dog world.

And then hopefully she'll also help me say her name properly. Sorry, Janine, but All smiles.  Adios.  This week's episode was written and produced by me, Brandon Bennett, the owner of Alpine Howl. Check us out at alpinehowl. com to get your pups some  great handcrafted gear.  And a matching hat for yourself.

AlpineHowl. com  Hit the subscribe button so you can listen to us every week so you don't miss an episode of Dog Friendly. That's right, we are coming at you every week on Tuesday mornings with all the special guests and going around the country to stop at Dog Friendly locations. If you have any inquiries or questions Please email us at info at alpinehowell.

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