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The big game is coming up this Sunday. No, we are not talking about the Super Bowl, but about the Puppy Bowl! While the Chiefs and the 49ers gear up for the Super Bowl, the Puppy Bowl will feature a bout between #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff fighting for the Chewy “Lombarky” trophy. Line barkers and wide retrievers also compete for the Most Valuable Puppy title—and for the hearts of viewers.
What is the Puppy Bowl?
Every year, Animal Planet gets together young puppies and has them compete by scoring touchdowns with dog toys on the mini gridiron of the Geico Stadium. Aside from entertainment, Animal Planet hopes that those who tune in consider adopting the players. The Puppy Bowl has a track record of 100% post-game adoptions, and we expect this year to be no different.
The two-hour event will feature the iconic water bowl cam, slo-mo replays, the puppy kiss cam, Surge the scoreboard-powering hamster and the return of more fan favorites. One of the new features this year, is the training room space, where pups will prepare for the big game.
Who is Competing?
96 puppies from 61 shelters across the United States and international locations including Columbia and Toronto will compete in Puppy Bowl XVI. This year’s Puppy Bowl features five special needs pups including Rooster, an American Staffy mix with a cleft palate, Kismet, a hearing-impaired Dane and Filbert, a blind and hearing-impaired Shetland Sheepdog mix.
Three of the pups-- Anise, Gina and Poppy--are Last Chance Animal Rescue, here in Maryland.
Anise / Team Fluff / Australian Cattle Dog Labrador Retriever / 19 weeks/
Fun Fact: is her own “built-in” subwoofer
Gina / Team Ruff / Labrador Retriever Chow Chow / 12 weeks/ Fun Fact: Still trying to master the bottle cap challenge
Poppy / Team Ruff / Bichon Frise / Papillon / 16 weeks/ Fun Fact: favorite band is Salt-and Pup-a
Check out the full Puppy Bowl XVI starting lineup here.
Is There a Halftime Show?
Oh yes. The Kitty Half-time Show will feature Jenni-Purr Lopez and Cat-ira, goat and armadillo cheerleaders for special rendition of “Catnips Don’t Lie!” These kitties are looking for their furever homes as well!
Where Can I watch the Puppy Bowl?
If you’re in the DMV area, join us for the heart-melting action at our Puppy Bowl Viewing Party benefiting Operation Paws For Homes at Black Flag Brewing Company, 9315 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia, MD on Sunday, Feb. 3 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free, but a Pup Cup with one beer is available for $10. Dogs are welcome.
You can also tune in to Animal Planet or the Animal Planet “Go” app at 3 p.m. EST to watch the game live. The full game will be released on the app at 5pm, after the game concludes.