deepsouth - I"m very, very sorry to hear about your pup. Ain't no shame in admitting you're sad about it - in my eyes, if losing your dog doesn't hit you in some way, then something ain't right with ya

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As you said, this should be your own beer, so I would consider playing around with the following ingredients:
Am 2 row or Maris Otter for base
Specialties
Large amounts:
Crystal 60, 80 or Caramunich
Carared
Biscuit or Victory
Small Amounts (these are mainly for color):
Chocolate or Pale Chocolate
Carafa Special I, II or III
Hops:
C-hops
Yeast: any american strain (Dennys 1450 might complement this perfectly)
Play around with that and see what you come up with.