Meet Denver, Top Dog Of Beverly Hills

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Denver is living the American Dream: a little over a year after he flew the ten hours from Ecuador to Los Angeles, he’s been crowned the Top Dog of Beverly Hills.

The tiny, Pekinese Shih Tzu mix stole the heart of hundreds of Beverly Hillers who awarded him the top prize of the city’s Doggy Daze 90210 Top Dog contest. Denver’s crooked, swaggering smirk beat out the over 600 other Beverly Hills dogs who entered the contest.

“I think he won because of his angelical face,” owner Jessie Almeida told Patch through her aunt Rosa Lopez, who translated her remarks from Spanish.

Indeed, a tiny, well-coiffed dog grinning proudly before the Beverly Hills Sign may be the perfect mascot for the city. Denver, who was named after a character on the Spanish drama “Money Heist”, enjoys going on walks in Beverly Gardens Park every single morning, so much so that he often runs out of his apartment door if it’s left even slightly ajar.

Lopez said that Denver is a feisty, sociable puppy who loves chasing after balls and sticks, and enjoys delivering shoes to anyone who enters their apartment at Beverly Hills Senior Housing on Crescent Drive, where she is manager.

“Anyone who comes to the door, he brings a shoe,” she said. “And whenever people get ready, he follows them, like where are you going? He doesn’t want to stay - he wants to go with the whole group.” According to Lopez, Denver has been photographed all over Beverly Hills, and even joined his owner for a 10k race.

Almeida said that this tiny bundle of energy and his shoe deliveries have helped her adjust to life in the United States, where she moved in December 2019. She left her boyfriend and a comfortable job as a software engineer to come to America, which was struck with a crippling pandemic right after she and newborn Denver moved here. Now, she is working in fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and Chipotle, where employees face a high risk of contracting the virus. She was going to work as a supervisor at a Hilton Hotel in New York City, but the pandemic got in the way. Lopez said that she and Denver are hoping to move there again.

In the meantime, Almeida is enjoying spending time with her extended family in the Los Angeles area. She lives in the Senior Housing complex with her mother Olga, aunt Rosa and uncle Angel, and great-aunt Norma, who all enjoy doting on Denver.

Lopez said they didn’t expect to win, but submitted the photo because of the sign and Denver’s unique expression. Almeida heard that she won while she was at work. “Everyone was excited - we put it all over Facebook, Instagram, our group, wherever,” Lopez said.

Now, a prize is in the works, but Lopez they still don’t know what it will be. Beverly Hills launched the Doggy Daze website in January as a virtual replacement for Woofstock, the annual dog extravaganza at Roxbury Park. The site featured links to local pet businesses and rescue organizations, tips from vets and groomers, dog videos, and of course, hundreds of other user-submitted dog photos. 600 people submitted photos of their dogs, which included guitar-playing chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers enjoying a posh tea party on “Pawdeo Drive.” Many other dogs won specialized categories, like “Creative Canine”, “Best Buddies,” “Holiday Hound,” and “Pooch in a Park.”

But there was only one Top Dog, and little Denver is enjoying his daily victory laps around Beverly Gardens Park.

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Beverly Hills Has A New Website Just For Dogs | Beverly Hills, CA Patch