One of the best gigs I ever had was managing the social media for a brewpub that wanted to tell the world it was dog friendly. I spent a few sunny spring afternoons hanging around the bar taking photos of freshly poured pints while waiting for unsuspecting punters to come in with their hounds.

Whenever a pub pooch arrived, I would ask for permission to photograph them for Facebook. Each owner was rewarded with a couple of shots of their pet sent via my DSLR camera’s Wi-Fi hook-up. I would dish out plenty of strokes to the dogs, along with a couple of biscuits from the glass jar that sat on the mahogany bar top.

It was glorious. Research shows that stroking a dog can help lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. After a few days of light supping and heavy petting, I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed.

I don’t have a dog – circumstances sadly don’t allow it – so meeting them down the pub is something of a treat. And they are a much-loved feature in many British pubs and breweries, adding character and warmth. One of the best stories I came across recently is about the Harvester Inn at Southam, Warwickshire. It created a 2023 calendar using pictures of their customers’ pets.

It’s cute, it’s wholesome and hilariously it features pictures of 23 dogs, two per page, along with one, slightly incongruous, chicken. It belongs to French Ann, a regular who “gets away with doing the odd daft thing, like bringing her chicken to the pub, because she’s French - her excuse, not ours”. Somehow this whole story encapsulates much of what I love about the pub. Quirky characters, cuddly critters and a sense of community spirit. Let’s face it, we all know a French Ann.

I don’t mind who brings the dog along. I’ll accost any stranger visiting the pub with a pooch. Seriously, I can’t help myself. I’m usually backed up by my toddler who loves being introduced to friendly new doggies as much as I do. But there is a special place in my heart for the true pub dogs – the ones who belong to the publican or brewer. They occupy a different space, a kind of strange but wonderful communal ownership. They build solid friendships with tens or even hundreds of customers. These dogs bond with us over secret transactions of Mini Cheddars, passed below the tabletop. The wages for a few precious minutes of their attention.

Brewery dogs hold positions of surprising power up and down the land. They have an interesting selection of job titles. Roosters Brewing Co has, perhaps predictably, an Office Dogsbody (and his assistants). Beau at Lincoln Green is head of Meet & Greet and chief cleaner (when food is dropped). Perhaps the most amazing professional transformation is Max at Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing who I am told has reached the dizzy heights of “qualified barista and beer festival team member” just two years after being adopted from a rescue centre. Amazing what they can achieve despite the lack of opposable thumbs.

Some dogs even run a bar of their own, like Pepper at the Brewery Market in Twickenham. This bottle shop burgher operates a private doggy-bar where her visiting pals can pick up a complimentary treat. The queen of the tasting room also organises Christmas pawties so dogs and owners alike can let their hair down at the end of the year.

The best brewery dog tale, in my humble opinion, is Siren’s Dolly. She can be found at the Wokingham brewery most days and enjoys taking her toy lobster on tours of the barrel store. She was immortalised on the label of Siren’s collaboration with Elusive Brewing, a black IPA named Zombies Ate My Neighbours. The artwork is an 8-bit rendering of the Siren estate, replete with the marauding undead. Designers Studio Parr took it upon themselves to recreate the diminutive Dolly taking a bathroom break, tucked away at the back of the label. I’ll wager not many spotted this little detail when it was first released in 2021!

Many brewery pets have been immortalised on labels and pump clips, but not many breweries have gone to the same lengths as Lister’s in Sussex. Its whole business is named after its fondly remembered family terrier and Lister’s influence pervades the whole business. In a clever skit on its Westmorland Dark Mild, it also makes Westmorland Bark Mild dog treats. Lister’s Dog Foundation is a charitable trust that receives a set donation from sales of some of their beers, dog treats and Tail Wagger gin. Truly Lister’s legacy is a proud one.

So let’s raise a glass, and offer a friendly scratch behind the ears, to the nation’s great pub dogs. Long may they continue to capture our hearts and hoover up our crumbs.