Congratulations to Zeus — he’s the winner of our first annual Dogs of Summer contest!
It wasn’t easy to choose, as we had more than 65 contestants enter the competition. See our honorable mentions on page B8.
Zeus, a two-year-old Airedale Terrier, is owned by Bill and Valerie Schwarz and was nominated by his older “sister,” Leslie Schwarz.
Leslie shared a treasured history of family dogs:
“My mom grew up on the Old Malibu road, my grandfather was a publicist for the original ‘Lassie,’ who was female and my mom was lucky enough to have ‘Lassie’ puppies… So, after a fabulous dog-filled lifetime, my parents, now an elderly couple, were faced with choosing what is expected to be their last dog.
Of course, everyone tried to steer them toward small ‘suitable’ breeds, but they picked Zeus, or as they tell it, Zeus picked them.
Zeus is the absolute centerpiece of their retired years. They go everywhere with him. You can meet them on their daily walk in Malibu Legacy Park.”
Zeus and his parents, who live in the Big Rock neighborhood, win a trove of goodies: $50 from Pacific Coast Pets, $100 from Ninja Warrior Carpet and Floor Cleaning Specialists, up to $100 off grooming from Malibu Vet Clinic, $50 from Eco Auto Wash and a free photo shoot with Mark Maryanovich Photography.
Honorable mentions:
Malibu Mack
“Malibu Mack loves to chill on the beach. He doesn’t like to get his feet wet!” said owner Diane Peterson.
Derek
Rescued from Los Angeles, “no one knows exactly how old he is or what breed — probably a Pekingese mixed with something else. People usually say Gremlin, Ewok or Teddy Bear!” his owner said.
“He’s happy to pose for pictures for people and he’s more than willing to pose for even more photos for his Instagram account [Derek_the_dog] — especially if there is a bite or two of American Cheese involved!”
Hunter
Hunter, a mixed lab, had perhaps the best action shot out of all our contestants, “playing with his friend the seal.”
Bug
A three-year-old French Mastiff, had quite the time celebrating Fourth of July earlier this summer. “Quite the patriot,” said owner Isabelle Bright.
Maximus
“Maximus’ biggest dream: to become president to control all the bones in the world,” said owner Lisa Lippman.
When he’s not dreaming of taking over the presidency, Maximus loves playing with bunnies, cats and squirrels.
