Huntington Beach Dog of the Year 2026: Celebrating the Dogs and Community That Make Huntington Beach Special
What started as a fun idea has quickly become a Huntington Beach tradition.
For the second year, we brought the community together for the Huntington Beach Dog of the Year Contest, hosted at Lake Park. What we didn't expect was just how big it would become. This year, we received more than 100 entries from local dogs and their proud owners, making this year's contest bigger than ever.
At the heart of the event was something pretty simple: bringing people together, celebrating our dogs, and enjoying a day in the community we call home.
More Than a Dog Contest
Huntington Beach is known for its beaches, surf culture, neighborhoods and laid-back lifestyle, but what makes the city special is the people who live here.
And our dogs are a pretty big part of that.
For many of us, our dogs are part of our everyday lives. They're with us on morning walks, trips to the beach, afternoons at the park and weekend adventures around town. They have a way of bringing people together, even when we've never met before.
That's exactly what happened at Dog of the Year.
With more than 100 entries, Lake Park was filled with dogs and their owners, families cheering each other on, plenty of conversations and, of course, a lot of very excited pups.
It wasn't just about winning. It was about showing up, meeting people and being part of something happening right here in Huntington Beach.
From 100+ Entries to Three Finalists
After receiving more than 100 entries, the contest came down to three finalists who were put to a community vote.
The finalists were:
Dog A: Sam & Fiona
11 and 10 year old Labradoodles
Dog B: Zero
A 2½ year old Samoyed
Dog C: Duchess
A 4 year old Great Dane
Each finalist had their own personality and their own group of supporters behind them. The community came out to vote, and when the votes were counted, Zero took home the title of Huntington Beach Dog of the Year 2026.
The Winners
This year's winners received some pretty special prizes:
🥇 1st Place: Zero
$1,000 prize
🥈 2nd Place: Sam & Fiona
Professional grooming from Dirty Dog Wash
🥉 3rd Place: Duchess
Pet gift basket
A special thank you goes to Dirty Dog Wash for helping make the second-place prize possible and to Tiempo Escrow for generously supplying the pet basket for our third-place winner.
Having local businesses support an event like this is what makes it possible to turn a simple idea into something the community can actually enjoy.
A Day at Lake Park
Lake Park was the perfect place to bring everyone together.
There was plenty of room for families and dogs to gather, meet one another and enjoy a beautiful Huntington Beach day. But the best part wasn't the setting. It was watching people who may have never crossed paths before start talking because their dogs happened to be standing next to each other.
That's one of the things we love about Huntington Beach.
You can take your dog for a walk and end up meeting a neighbor. You can head to the park for an afternoon and leave knowing someone new. Small interactions like those are what build a community over time.
Dog of the Year gave everyone a reason to get outside and experience exactly that.
Why We Do Events Like This
As a real estate group, we spend a lot of time talking about homes and neighborhoods.
But being part of a community is about much more than real estate.
It's about knowing the places around you. Supporting local businesses. Meeting your neighbors. Creating traditions. And giving people opportunities to come together outside of their everyday routines.
That's what we wanted Dog of the Year to be.
Not a sales event. Not a networking event.
Just a fun Huntington Beach tradition where people could bring their dogs, spend an afternoon together and celebrate the community.
The response this year showed us that there is something special about creating those moments.
Thank You, Huntington Beach
To everyone who entered their dog, voted for a finalist, came out to Lake Park or helped spread the word, thank you.
More than 100 entries made this year's contest something far bigger than we originally imagined.
And to our local partners, especially Dirty Dog Wash, Compass, and Tiempo Escrow, thank you for helping us give back to the community and make the day even more memorable.
Most importantly, thank you to all of the dogs and their owners who showed up and made the event what it was.
We started Dog of the Year because we thought it would be fun.
After two years, it's becoming something more: a small Huntington Beach tradition built around the people, pets and local businesses that make this community feel like home.
We'll see you and your dogs next year.
Until then, keep enjoying Huntington Beach.