Partnership Between Pup and Pub - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

LANCASTER, Pa. - Amy Risko loves her dogs, and when one of them had a sensitive stomach, she started baking homemade dog treats.

"We use peanut butter, eggs, whole wheat flour and just mix it together and it's just wonderful," Risko said.

But one unlikely ingredient brought this small dog treat business together with the local bar scene.

"I'm not a beer drinker," she said. "I didn't know much about the process."

The beer making process leaves behind spent grain, something Risko can use.

"Generally it's just waste for them," she said. "They don't have a need for it after the sugars are gone, because they want that sugar for beer."

Risko says the collaboration between pup and pub couldn't have been easier at the Lancaster Brewing Company .

"I asked just to talk to the brewmaster," she said. "He just came right up, he told me all about the brewing process, brought me up a five gallon bucket of grain and I went on my way."

The two businesses continue to work together. The brewery now sells Risko's treats.

"We try to work with more local people whenever we can, because we're small," she said. "There's other small people and we love to support each other."

And with free material, it helps makes luxury dog treats affordable.

"It's amazing," Risko said. "It makes our costs more affective, I don't have to price hike my customers and we can make everything affordable for everybody."