Unleashed Brewing Co. was bred from a love of craft beer, dogs, and adventure. We are a dog inspired brewery in the heart of Kelowna’s Brewery District. Having a dog friendly taproom has been our goal and vision from the very beginning. We knew it would be an adventure trying to gain the proper approvals from the health authorities within BC, but that never discouraged us. We had a plan, consulted with dog friendly breweries in other provinces, and had solid reasoning as to why our vision would work! We also don't have a kitchen, or prep food - we serve pre-packaged snacks and often have food trucks on site.

With a well laid out proposal, and many conversations with the local and provincial health authorities, we were given temporary approval to allow dogs within our taproom as of August 2022. Albeit temporary, this was also a trial time for us to see the hurdles that would come up and hopefully assist the health authorities with the rules and policies that would need to be created to move forward with a policy change. 

We knew we were test subjects and were ok with that! We’ve seen the successes that other taprooms in provinces across Canada have had with allowing dogs inside their establishments and were confident that we would be a shining example of why dogs should be allowed in taprooms within BC. And we were (and still are)!

Our 5 month long trial went amazingly well, better than even we imagined! Our brewery has been packed with people and their dogs, and it’s been heartwarming to see; our dream come true.

On January 25 we were notified that we’d need to cease allowing dogs within Unleashed. It turns out that people were so excited about being able to have their dogs at Unleashed that many other businesses began requesting the exemption as well! Without a set policy in place around dogs within taprooms (or similar establishments), the authorities were undoubtedly put in a tough spot. We were fortunate to be given until February 15 to notify everyone of this heartbreaking news.

What do we want from this petition? We’d love to continue being the test subjects and help guide the creation of these policies. Let us continue to be the test space, guide the new policy changes, and spearhead this innovative concept for BC! We want to keep dogs inside the taproom.

We’re asking for your support! Sign this petition to show your support for more dog friendliness in Kelowna; for a safe, indoor place that you can visit with your dog and have a beer; and for a small, niche craft brewery who loves dogs! 

Share the petition with everyone you know! Use #unleashtheapproval and tell us about your amazing dog friendly experiences at Unleashed. 

Thank you,
Ashton, Shantel, and Mike (owners & founders of Unleashed Brewing Co.)