The Humane Society for Greater Savannah is preparing for its first ever Tails & Ales Festival.

From June 25- 27, the bark-friendly fundraiser will be a must-attend summer event. With the purchase of a special Tails & Ales fundraiser cup, attendees will get unlimited discounted drinks from participating businesses. All proceeds from cup sales will directly support the HSGS.

“This is the first time we’ve done this event,” said Montana Tohm, Development & Foster Coordinator for HSGS. “We are hoping to sell over 500 cups.”

Each year the HSGS spends approximately $100,000 on vaccines, preventative medications, vet care and specialty surgeries for dogs in need. This event will help support those essential services. Tails & Ales will also help local restaurants and bars, Tohm continued.

“Our goal is to raise $10,000 for our medical department and to help bring business back to our restaurant community,” Tohm said. “COVID was very difficult for all of us and we want to let people know the businesses are open and Savannah is ready to have fun again.”

There will be six downtown establishments participating in the event: Starland Yard, Service Brewing Co., Moodrights, Water Witch Tiki, The Rail Pub and New Realm Distilling Co. Helping animals in need is a personal commitment for Brigitte Harley, Water Witch owner.

“We are excited to participate in events that benefit the community,” she said. “I have always been a supporter of the Humane Society.

Whose heart doesn’t pull when they see animals in need? The Humane Society has such passionate individuals doing great things for animals who can’t help themselves.”

Zach Thoren, director of marketing for New Realm Brewing Co. explained, “Animals, and particularly pups, have been important to New Realm since our first year in business. We’ve had a longstanding partnership with Atlanta Humane Society and, with our expansion into Savannah, we’re thrilled to support the HSGS. We look forward to a long and puppy-kiss filled relationship with HSGS!”

Special drink menus will be released leading up to the festival. A sneak peek: Starland Yard will offer 50% off all draft beer and Water Witch will offer beer and tiki drink specials, including a $6 Beach Bum.

Bearded Lady Bandanas and Bentley’s Pet Stuff — the event’s sponsors — will be at Starland Yard throughout the festival selling pet merch. “We LOVE the Humane Society and all that they do for the community,” explained Team Lead at Bentley’s Pet Stuff Nicole Penick. “We will have Bentley’s Beer — bone broth and water— and we will have a Bentley’s Mocktail —goat milk and watermelon— available for all the pups.”

For Ashley Balzer, founder of Bearded Lady Bandannas, her rescue pup was the inspiration for her business.

“We are super excited to partner with the Humane Society again,” Balzer said. “We love their themed events. The Harry Potter event they hosted with Ghost Coast Distillery was a blast. We love the dogs and we love the people that work there. Our whole business has stemmed off of our love for our rescue dog, Amelia, lovingly known as Millie, who is the Bearded Lady. Montana Tohm [from HSGS] has also been a big supporter of our bandanas and we can’t thank her enough for sharing her platform and giving us the opportunity to reach other dog obsessed— and cat obsessed—humans like us!”

Starland Yard hosts several charity events each month for a wide range of community non-profit organizations.

“Since we are such a dog-friendly space, it is always a great fit for us to host shelter/rescue events.” explained Ava Pandiani, general manager, Starland Yard. “We’ve worked with the Humane Society in the past and they are always actively involving local businesses. When you have the ability to combine fundraising for a great cause, dogs, and having a fun day out in Savannah, it’s a win-win-win.”

Discounted drinks are unlimited with the use of your Tails & Ales cup. Be sure to plan your visits carefully as hours vary for each participating business. Fair warning, lost cups will not be replaced! Cups and t-shirts can be picked-up June 25-27 from 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. at Starland Yard. The purchaser of the cups must be present for pick-up. This is a 21+ event, so bring a valid form of ID.

This is a brand new dog friendly festival that you won’t want to miss! Cups are $20 with 100% of sales going to HSGS.

Only a limited number of cups are being sold and they expect to sell out. The HSGS will also be selling special festival t-shirts. And, if you’re looking to adopt a four-legged friend, there will be adoptable dogs at different locations.

Cups and Event T-shirts can be purchased via humanesocietysav.org/tickets. #GetThirstySavannah

This article appears in 06-23-2021.