First Magnitude Brewing Company took advantage of all the puppy lovers out there and allowed people to watch their favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday, the Puppy Bowl, at its “Touchdowns for Tailwags” adoption event on Sunday.
First Magnitude opened in 2014 with only five beers on tap, but now the company has made a name for itself with over 100 beers on tap and an active role in the Gainesville community.
The company has been involved in cleaning the creeks of Gainesville during its annual Clean Creek Revival, donating over $100,000 to the Florida Springs Institute from their 7.2K Springs Run and creating a space for community groups to host fundraisers.
The adorable puppies up for adoption prancing around First Magnitude’s outdoor area were the center of attention despite Puppy Bowl 2025 stars like Dee-Bone Samuel and Bark Kent on the big screen..
“Touchdowns for Tailwags” included real-life rescues up for adoption and is one of the many adoption and animal support events First Magnitude has hosted.
“Places like this where you can bring like a pet and just hang out and be outside because you're in Florida, it's really nice,” foster dog parent Robyn Rush said.
Christine Denny, co-founder and president of First Magnitude Brewing, said she has a passion for all things animals and that has played a huge role in the company’s commitment to helping rescue organizations.
“Over the years, First Magnitude has donated thousands of dollars to local animal rescues by selling the dog treats they call “Beer Mutts," Denny said.
Proceeds from the sale of these spent grain dog treats go to local rescues, but this is only one of the many ways the brewery gives back.
“We also partner with the Humane Society to do an annual pet photo contest. It's a contest that raises money for the Humane Society, and the winning dog and cat get to be featured on a beer. We've raised over $100,000 over the last couple of years doing that,” Denny said.
The brewery’s commitment to helping animals helps it build long-lasting relationships with the organizations at Sunday’s event, including Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue, Second Chance Rescue & Rehoming, Inc., Alachua County Animal Resources and Operation Catnip Gainesville.
Not only do these partnerships encourage First Magnitude regulars and Gainesville residents to find a new furry friend, but the events have even expanded the First Magnitude family.
“Our marketing director, she got her dog from one of the most recent ones,” Denny said. “My dog, I adopted from Puppy Hill Farm, and he is a wonderful pitbull mix,” she said.
Twin litter siblings, Jack and Jill, were found in the home of a hoarder who was in possession of multiple puppies that were not being cared for. Once the two were rescued and nursed to health, they were handed over to Robyn Rush and her husband who have been fostering the pair for a few months.
The Rushes brought the six-month-old puppies to the event in hopes of finding their forever home. The Rushes have three dogs of their own and as much as they love Jack and Jill, they have hopes of the two finding a family.
“We’d love to have them adopted,” Robyn Rush said. “Jack is more the happy-go-lucky type whereas Jill is a bit more chill and shy,” she continued.
The Rushes’ dogs were very popular at the event and drew the attention of many potential owners. While they weren’t adopted on Sunday, a prospective family said they planned to get both Jack and Jill once they buy what they need to make them as comfortable as possible.
“Tailwags for Touchdowns” presented pups available for both adoption and fostering. Denny said she believes that fostering is one of the best ways to help out the shelters that have their hands full.
“With hurricanes and the cold weather, a lot of shelters in other counties either got impacted by storms or just don't have the ability to take care of animals during cooler weather. So a lot of the areas sent their pets over to our local animal rescues, and so our animal rescues are busting at the seams, and they need to have people that can help them out by giving a pet a good home, even if it's temporary.”
The Rushes said there's nothing like a dog's unconditional love, and First Magnitude’s event showcased that love — one adoption at a time.