Age is just a number, after all.
After highlighting some of the best young pups in Denver, we wanted to make sure to give the older and wiser dogs of the Mile High City their time in the spotlight.
We asked Denverites to submit their furry best friends to our 50 over 50 list (in dog years, so they had to be age 8 or older), and we ended up with a great group: Some are fighting cancer and need surgery for an ACL repair, while others have their sights set on finishing a 14er and are still bounding up the stairs at 17-(people)-years-old.
Here are the winners!
Abby, the Australian shepherd mix
Age: 8
Owner(s): Emily Petersen, Ann Petersen-Smith and Chuck Smith
Hobbies: Giving high fives and doing specific toy retrieval.
Abu, the dachshund poodle mix
Age: 10
Owner: Shae Steven
Hobbies: Burying bones and studying new spots to bury bones. Judging. Cuddling on his own terms. “Gophering," where he stands for indefinite periods of time like a human on his hind legs and just stares at you.
Alfie, the cocker spaniel mix
Age: 11
Owner: Carlos Álvarez-Aranyos
Hobbies: Formerly a therapy dog who visited hospitals.
Anniebelle, the labrador retriever
Age: 12
Owner: Becky Wood
Hobbies: Swimming, playing catch, rolling in the snow, speaking quiet or loud.
Bagheera, the Plott/Bloodhound mix
Age: 9
Owner: Taffin Smith
Hobbies: Scavenging for food, chasing squirrels, "purring" like a cat and snuggling on top of you even though he's 95 pounds.
Bandit, the Siberian husky/German shepherd/black lab/Chow mix
Age: 13
Owner(s): Rachael Kaspar and Jared Johnson
Hobbies: Singing (to his own song playlist, which includes “Yeah” by Usher, “Bubble Toes” by Jack Johnson and “Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams), hiking, playing with tennis balls and swimming.
Instagram: @rufferito
Beep, the chocolate lab
Age: 14
Owner: Natalie Simpson
Hobbies: Cuddling, begging and sleeping.
Buster Buttercup, the basset hound
Age: 11
Owner: Jon and Lela Goldstein
Hobbies: Sniffing, eating, looking pitiful, going in the opposite direction you want to take him and using at least four poop bags daily.
Chaney, the Llaso Apso
Age: 13
Owner: Linda Roots
Hobbies: Greeting everyone she sees with a bark, then sitting down with a smile, waiting to be petted. Going out to play in the yard, being sweet and obedient, loving everybody. Chaney was rescued at age 10.
Chango, the Chihuahua mix
Age: 9
Owner: Veronica Montoya
Hobbies: Rolling over, sitting and running really fast.
Clyde, the mutt
Age: 13
Owner(s): Jessica Reaves and Jordan Karol
Hobbies: Chewing on Russian novels he removes from the bookshelf, rolling over (to get belly rubs) and smelling every tree he encounters on his daily walks.
Dexter, the German short-haired pointer
Age: 11
Owner(s): Chris Gary and Allison Smith
Hobbies: Jumping in circles, being a peanut butter connoisseur, getting in your face and intensely staring at you and then licking you, hand holding, snuggling when he can tell you're upset, getting into people food if any is left anywhere on the counter and playing well with others.
Diego, the beagle
Age: 11
Owner(s): Carlo Gonzalez and Jenay Sellers
Hobbies: Playing chase, finding squirrels, howling, napping, sniffing everything, finding (and hiding) socks and pooping with one leg in the air.
Diver, the labrador retriever
Age: 9
Owner: Emily Casteel
Hobbies: Burglarizing anything that might contain food and consuming the spoils — drawers, cupboards, luggage, garden beds full of hot peppers alike. Only retrieving balls that have been thrown into water and cuddling up with his favorite humans — preferably directly on their faces.
Dylan, the golden retriever
Age: 10
Owner(s): Jon Hartman and Liz Henderson
Hobbies: Being a meat inspector, campus mascot, tennis ball lover and ham sommelier.
Elle, the papillon
Age: 11
Owner: Amy Mark
Hobbies: Being a professional cuddler, treat aficionado and human protector. Enjoys napping, walks in the park and will sit, roll over or jump repeatedly for food.
Emily, the dachshund
Age: 8
Owner: Brooke Stover
Hobbies: Chasing squirrels, playing fetch and sunbathing
Finn, the golden retriever
Age: 10
Owner: Scott Downes
Hobbies: Any ball, any time, any where.
Frida, the Boston terrier
Age: 9
Owner(s): Sharon McGill and Micah Messenheimer
Hobbies: Doing a front paw-stand to pee, snoring as loud as a human, eating anchovies and producing weapons-grade farts.
Guthrie, the Entlebucher Mountain dog
Age: 8
Owner(s): Brad and Colleen Cozad
Hobbies: Hiking, snowshoeing and being a great older bro.
Hailey, the pug
Age: 14
Owner: Vanessa Luna
Hobbies: Tarot reading, judging outfits, napping in the sun, reading the Sunday NYT travel section and appreciating Werner Herzog filmography.
Henry, the cockapoo
Age: 14
Owner(s): Polly Drew and David Kornhauser
Hobbies: At age 11, Henry tore his ACL playing fetch and had his knee replaced. Now, he goes on up to 10-mile hikes, with his biggest accomplishment being a wildflower hike up to Eccles Pass.
Jaeger, the Vizsla
Age: 10
Owner: Samantha Downing
Hobbies: Counter-surfing, having no spacial boundaries in the bed and being terribly handsome.
Jake, the shepherd/lab mix
Age: 13
Owner(s): Mary and James Butler
Hobbies: Guarding the yard like no other and being the cutest sleeper around.
Jasper, the beagle
Age: 9
Owner: Aaron Bailey
Hobbies: Snoring loudly, waving for treats and howling at anyone who passes by.
Jordy, the labrador retriever
Age: 8
Owner: Jennifer Sebastian
Hobbies: Being a belly flopper, swimmer, professional relaxer and goofball.
Kerlee, the sheepdog mix
Age: 11
Owner: Haley Hunt
Hobbies: Smiling, sleeping and shameless begging.
Lilly, the Pakistani shepherd
Age: 8
Owner(s): Kasyia Krenek and Jeff Krenek
Hobbies: Licking, shaking, barking, being very lovable and protecting her family.
Lucy, the terrier
Age: 10
Owner(s): Emily Sinclair and Jay Kenney
Hobbies: Walking on Colfax, threatening larger dogs, being hand-fed chicken and following a gluten-free diet.
Lucy, the labrador retriever
Age: 13
Owner: Jennifer Rokala
Hobbies: Walking in Wash Park and visiting neighborhood coffee shops that give her a treat.
Luka, the malamute/husky mix
Age: 8
Owner(s): Ryan and Michelle Cone
Hobbies: Lounging, meditating, catching squirrels and evolving to a higher plane of consciousness.
Luna, the golden/malamute mix
Age: 13
Owner(s): Paula and Jim Henry
Hobbies: Walking to Cheesman Park, making snow angels, rolling in the grass by the Denver Art Museum, blazing cross-country ski trails in City Park, finding fried chicken in deep snow and making everyone happy. She has lived in downtown Denver since she was adopted from a shelter when she was eight weeks old.
Milo, the rat terrier
Age: 14
Owner: Dawn Barnhart
Hobbies: Fetcher-in-Chief.
Murphy, the Lhasa Apso
Age: 8
Owner: Melissa Leuck
Hobbies: Getting the “zooms” and snuggling on the couch.
Nugget, the maltipoo
Age: 8
Owner: Susan Lewis
Hobbies: Nugget loves her groomer (pictured) and goes crazy in the car ride over, then runs around the shop looking for her.
Ozzy, the Pekingese
Age: 10
Owner: Tina Gutierrez
Hobbies: Playing with toys, sleeping, going for car rides and providing comic relief.
Rae, the Chow mix
Age: 17
Owner: Ciara Dugas
Hobbies: She can run up stairs at her age.
Rexie, the retired racing Greyhound
Age: 9
Owner: Jan Marie Belle
Hobbies: Reading hearts and minds and helping his owner navigate over slippery ice on walks.
Riley, the yellow lab/Wheaten terrier/Chow mix
Age: 16
Owner: Andy Davis
Hobbies: Being a super sniffer, power napper, Broncos fan and former singer with a sweet, mellow soul.
Rosie, the yellow lab retriever
Age: 12
Owner: James Montoya
Hobbies: Swimming, playing fetch and impersonating Chewbacca from Star Wars.
Rubi, the golden retriever mix
Age: 8
Owner(s): Al and Carol Stine
Hobbies: Loving everyone.
Saffron, the Chow/Rottweiler/Shar Pei/Australian shepherd/heeler mix
Age: 12
Owner: Carrin Honeycutt
Hobbies: Being voted Ms. Manners in puppy class, schooling all of the foster dogs in etiquette and being a cancer survivor.
Twitter: @BigMommaSaffron
Samson, the labrador retriever
Age: 9
Owner: Jennifer Sebastian
Hobbies: Swimming and being both a lover and super serious.
Spot, the dalmatian
Age: 11
Owner: Christopher Rokahr
Hobbies: Hiking, being well-behaved and snuggling.
Squee
Age: 11
Owner(s): Sarah Passantino and Angus Strayhorn
Hobbies: Being brilliant, shaking hands, speaking on command, standing up on his hind legs and loving people and other animals.
Steve, the Welsh corgi
Age: 9
Owner: Lily Pavlich
Hobbies: Catching squirrels, making everyone smile and being a guard dog and professional cuddler
Instagram: @stevegreatjob
GoFundMe: Steve needs ACL repair surgery.
Stoli, the Weimaraner
Age: 14
Owner: Tony DiTirro
Hobbies: Stoli has been fighting cancer for 18 months at Colorado State University, which just opened a new state-of-the-art veterinary cancer center. Making monthly trips from Aurora to Fort Collins, Stoli is fighting the good fight and inspiring others along the way. A former inmate rehab dog, Stoli made his true claim to fame by being photographed by his owner as “Super Stoli,” among other characters.
Instagram: @ditirrophoto
Tobias (aka Toby), the yellow lab
Age: 8
Owner: Babs Symonds
Hobbies: Adopted from Safe Harbor Lab Rescue, Toby finds great joy in eating, taking care of dropped food, shedding profusely, being kind of gassy and loving everyone in the house.
Tommi, the St. Bernard/boxer mix
Age: 11
Owner: Susan Terrazas
Hobbies: Being a baby carrot connoisseur, the neighborhood squirrel chaser and a professional snowball catcher.
Yumi, the labrador/shepherd mix
Age: 9
Owner(s): Lisa Oien and Jared Zachary
Hobbies: Being a fantastic cuddler, super swimmer, travel companion and explorer, expert high-fiver and devoted couch potato.
