Whether they're hiking 14ers, running successful Instagram accounts with nearly 13,000 followers, or helping foster animals get adjusted in new homes, Denver has some pretty amazing dogs.
We asked Denverites to submit their furry best friends to our 50 under 50 list (in dog years, so they had to be age 7 or younger). After making some tough decisions, we've rounded up some of the best young-ish pups in the Mile High City.
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Somewhat surprisingly, only one dog that made the cut had one of Denver's top 10 dog names. Maybe we'll get some Bellas, Lucys and Charlies in our next dog roundup -- the senior edition.
Is your Denver dog age 8 or older? Submit him or her to our next featured list of Denver's top dogs: 50 over 50.
Here are the winners!
Alfred, the West Highland terrier
Age: 4
Owner: Hadley Toth
Hobbies: Chasing squirrels, snuggling under blankets and begging for treats.
Anouk, the golden shepherd
Age: 2
Owners: Peter and Hilary McMillan
Hobbies: Kissing anyone within licking distance, racing her best fur friend and wiggling into people's hearts.
Archie, the terrier
Age: 7
Owner: Bonnie Gross
Hobbies: Wind sprints through the house, catching treats mid-air, smiling all the time and protecting his elderly dachshund brother from bunny rabbits and docile labs.
Avery
Age: 3 months
Owners: Gabi Kulesza and Ryan Weaver
Hobbies: Being cute, begging for food, sitting for treats, nipping at toes, giving puppy kisses and snuggling until he falls asleep.
Boomer, the Chiweenie
Age: 7
Owner: Niki Gatewood
Hobbies: Helping foster dogs feel comfortable in a new house.
Boris von Snicklefritz, the dachshund
Age: 3
Owners: Drew and Clare Frey
Hobbies: Stealing kisses and towels hot out of the dryer.
Instagram: @borisvonsnicklefritz
Brewer, the American Staffordshire terrier mix
Age: 2.5
Owners: Amanda Thomas
Hobbies: Hiking, playing with all the toys, learning new tricks and balancing things on his nose.
Buster, the Plott hound
Age: 2
Owners: Heather Coleman
Hobbies: Playing tug-o-war, having his head scratched and learning new tricks.
Captain Olivia Benson, the Australian shepherd/blue heeler
Age: 4 months
Owners: Brenda Beckers and Ben Lane
Hobbies: Exceptionally good at herding the cat, playing fetch and rolling over.
Roadhouse Colorado "Cash," the Australian cattle dog
Age: 6 months
Owners: Travis and Chelsea Coe
Hobbies: Residential demolition specialist, neighborhood watch vigilante with a vendetta against squirrels, self-appointed security system, frisbee enthusiast and professional feet warmer.
Cheyenne, the husky/shepherd/coyote mix
Age: 6 months
Owner: Annie Carlton
Hobbies: Pouncing, howling and cuddling.
Cooper, the beagle/basset/Ridgeback mix
Age: 4
Owner: Meg Currie
Hobbies: Never meeting a person he doesn't like -- whenever he sees someone he knows he starts squealing, wiggling, yelping and falls to the ground with happiness!
Ellie, the golden retriever
Age: 1
Owners: Jessica Goad and Matt Kirby
Hobbies: Swimming in the Colorado River, hiking in the aspens and frolicking through snowdrifts -- she can't get enough of this state!
Frankie, the papillon
Age: 7
Owners: Bree Davies and Gregg Ziemba
Hobbies: He can shake, high-five, howl, ride a skateboard and make all other dogs feel inferior with his never-ending hubris and giant 10-pound dog ego!
Goldie, the mini Australian shepherd
Age: 6 months
Owner: Ethan Rutledge
Hobbies: Rolling over, catching frisbees, going on hikes, swimming and being suspicious of her brother (a cat).
Instagram: @Mini.aussie.goldie
Gus, the Chesapeake Bay retriever
Age: 5
Owners: Nathan Thompson and Jennifer Pedraza
Hobbies: Sleeping, talking, hiding treats and hiking.
Hera, the shepherd/pitbull/mutt mix
Age: 2.5
Owners: Alice, Justin, Blake and Talon Kresh
Hobbies: Licking babies' toes, wrestling with 7-year-old Blake, barking at bicycles and snuggling.
Howie the Cuteness, the terrier mix
Age: 2
Owners: Olivia Wheatfall and Ethan Miller
Hobbies: Wearing the heck out of a sweater and playing fetch 24/7 with his favorite toy Mr. Pigley Oinkers.
Instagram: @howiethecuteness
Jet Li, the German shepherd mix
Age: 5
Owners: Nadine and Erik Penn
Hobbies: Snuggling with her mom and dad, playing fetch and tug-of-war and using her mad hops to steal the ball out of the air.
Jeter, the Yorkshire terrier
Age: 2
Owners: Stacey Mullins
Hobbies: Training his parents to do whatever he wants them to do, making everyone that meets him smile, hating the car and wanting to be everyone's best friend.
Instagram: @jeter_yorkie
Jobin, the soft-coated Wheaten terrier
Age: 1
Owner: Kaylin Dettman
Hobbies: Chasing dogs at the dog park, high-fiving, running the living room obstacle course, sleeping on his back, hiking, barking at his own reflection and attempting to swim.
Instagram: @jobin_stagram
Kato, the heeler mix
Age: 7
Owner: Marina Lewis
Hobbies: Napping, shedding on all of your clothes, catching food thrown at his face and trying to herd other dogs at the dog park. If you ask him to give you one paw, he will give you two of them enthusiastically.
Koa, the boxer
Age: 5
Owner: Glen Montoya
Hobbies: Running like the wind, playing with his buddies, cuddling and being a goofball.
Laika, the sheltie/pomeranian mix
Age: 3
Owner: Mari Baracuhy
Hobbies: Climbing, running, kissing and being trained to be a therapy dog.
Instagram: @Laikatheprincess
Larry, the Boston terrier
Age: 2
Owners: Jill and Aaron St. John
Hobbies: Sunbathing, high-fives, eating butter, going for long walks and "talking."
Louie, the French bulldog
Age: 5
Owner: Tracy Hagadorn
Hobbies: Eating rocks, snoring and snorting.
Instagram: @louiepotato
Louie, the labrador retriever, golden retriever and Chow Chow mix
Age: 4
Owners: Joe and Kathleen Howell
Hobbies: Going to work with his mom while wearing a tie, doing tricks for treats, playing hall monitor, sunbathing, eating snow, chasing butterflies, camping, hiking in the mountains and swimming.
Luke, the mutt
Age: 3
Owner: Rachel Stenftennagel
Hobbies: Being incredibly cute, napping, snuggling and snowshoeing with Mom.
Lyla, the shepherd mix
Age: 2.5
Owner: Heather Kopsky
Hobbies: Hiking, running, EATING (way too fast) and attempting to catch birds.
Maeby, the Catahoula mix
Age: 3
Owner: Rachel Irons
Hobbies: Cuddling, sitting, responding to the cheese drawer being opened in the fridge, licking clean tuna cans, having a really adorable snuggle tooth, being the most beloved dog at the vet (she actually loves it there), chasing squirrels and back-flopping while trying to play catch.
Marlowe, the Australian shepherd mix
Age: 4
Owner: Kelly McEvitt
Hobbies: Burping after meals, playing hide and seek and notifying Kelly of the mailman's presence.
Monte, the cockapoo
Age: 9 months
Owners: Jesse and Colleen Goldsmtih
Hobbies: Being cute, hiking, playing fetch, licking faces, and destroying chew toys.
Moose, the labrador retreiver
Age: 6 months
Owner: Liz Doerr
Hobbies: Peeing right in the middle of the side walk, hiding just one sandal from his owner and thinking every single human in Denver is his best friend.
Instagram: @mountainmuttmoose
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Chow mix
Age: 2
Owner: Lauren Kundert
Hobbies: Refusing to leave Lauren's side and being her best friend.
Instagram: @Obi.wanadventures
Oliver, the West Highland terrier/miniature pincer mix
Age: 2
Owner: Brooke Stover
Hobbies: Cuddling and a little playing on the side.
Oliver, the Weimaraner
Age: 2
Owners: Rachel McCracken & Thiago Fornazier
Hobbies: Standing on things (tables, chairs, benches), playing with all other types of dogs, crawling into laps and expecting to be held like a baby.
Instagram: @thecrackn
Oscar VanderBie, the miniature Schnauzer
Age: 7
Owner: Becky Dunn
Hobbies: Being outdoors, hiking and playing in the snow.
Pablo, Shih Tzu
Age: 7
Owner: Tess Vigil
Hobbies: Being a #dogprince, riding in his dog jogging stroller and loving life in South City Park.
Pancake, the Chihuahua/cocker spaniel mix
Age: 1.5
Owners: Caitlin Colletti and Taylor Stell
Hobbies: Playing fetch, rolling over, carrying sticks, howling with fire trucks, cuddling and making new doggie friends.
Penny Pinkles, the Australian shepherd mix
Age: 4.5
Owner: Julie Waters
Hobbies: Chasing squirrels, hiking in the mountains, copiloting on road trips and being a mailman alarm system.
Rick, the mini dachshund
Age: 1.5
Owner: Steve Baker
Hobbies: Being the most popular dog in the hot Taxi Campus in RiNo, snuggling, destroying stuffed animals and eating baked goods.
Instagram: @snuggleford
Rocky, the Treeing Walker/redtick coonhound mix
Age: 5 months
Owners: Ellen and Kevin Wheat
Hobbies: Playing tug' o war and sniffing everything out.
Instagram: @rockyofcolorado
Roscoe, the Bloodhound
Age: 2
Owner: Sydney Schneider
Hobbies: Loving the Denver Broncos, howling with the best of them, destroying a toy in 2 minutes flat, running with his mom and exploring Denver.
Rosie
Age: 3
Owners: Kirsten Carlson and Judson Brehmer
Hobbies: Going on hiking adventures with her human people at least four days a week, getting belly rubs, loving all other dogs and caring for the four chickens that live in her backyard.
Rosie the Riveter, the Pyrenees mix
Age: 1
Owner: Madeleine Gomez
Hobbies: Morning snuggles, missing the ball, grunting, eating pureed pumpkin and trail running like a boss.
Simon, the terrier mix
Age: 4
Owner: Johanna Ladis
Hobbies: Chasing spiders and grasshoppers (sometimes carrying grasshoppers in his mouth for blocks until he gets bored with them), jumping on various furniture and spinning in circles when excited. Oh, and crawling.
T. Rex, the goldendoodle
Age: 2.5
Owners: Cat Vielma and Ellie Maley
Hobbies: Opening round doorknobs with his teeth, chasing the neighborhood cat and cuddling socks.
Instagram: @heykingrex
Tahoe, the golden retriever
Age: 9 weeks
Owner: Matt Connelly
Hobbies: Sitting in the middle of the sidewalk instead of walking, chasing all of the recently fallen leaves in Uptown Denver, and making friends outside of Steuben's, Tony P's and Beast & Bottle.
Thomas, the dachshund
Age: 5
Owner: Ashley Hancock
Hobbies: Hanging out at the dog park and boating.
Zora, the Australian Shepherd/Border Collie/Healer/You Name it
Age: 3.5
Owner: Eric Herbst
Hobbies: Hiking 14ers and keeping up with 15 mile mountain bike rides.
