This Year’s Puppy Bowl Includes Adult Rescue Dogs, Sloths, and Chickens
Not to be outdone by the Kitten Bowl, the 14th annual Puppy Bowl from Animal Planet has stepped up its game in the hopes of again earning your love as the best and derpiest part of Super Bowl Sunday. Commence countdown to cute overload.
In just two days, Animal Planet will revive its annual alternative Super Bowl programming and halftime show featuring adoptable animals from shelters and rescues around the country.
Starting at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday February 4th, the lineup of rescue puppies on Team Fluff and Team Ruff will “compete” in the Puppy Bowl, held on an indoor astroturf field and broadcast live via Dropcams. True fans can tune in to the action and “sniff out the competition” leading up to the main event by turning on “Spot Center” on Animal Planet’s Facebook page. (The tailgate montage, including stuffed Nylabones on the grill, just might be the favorite new feature.)
But paws here for a sec: the Puppy Bowl is about so much more than just puppies this year. For the first time ever, adoptable adult dogs will get their due with their own event, and there will be rescued piglets v.s. ducklings, sloths, and even the piano-playing chickens from America’s Got Talent — Jokgu and The Flockstars — in the halftime show. (Sorry JT, you’re getting DVR’d, gotta watch this one live.)
If you’ve ever wondered about the furever after stories of the Puppy Bowl adoptions, check out this sweet tale from People editor Charlotte Triggs, who went to preview the Puppy Bowl as a reporter and ended up becoming the lucky new mom to rescue pup Trooper the Chihuahua mix.
But you don’t have to fight for one of the Puppy Bowl’s on-screen doggos (including rescues from hurricane-hit regions like Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas) just to celebrate adoptable animals this Super Bowl weekend. Animal Planet and the ASPCA have partnered with hundreds of shelters and rescues around the country to offer adoption specials on MVPs — Most Valuable Pets — from January 28th through February 4th, 2018. To draft a buddy, check out the list of participating partners here.
Already got pets of your own? Especially if they’ve got their own social media accounts? Animal Planet now has a feature where you can upload a photo of your puppy or kitten (or piglet or duckling or sloth or rooster or goat or donkey or nonbinary pet rock) and create Puppy Bowl trading cards.
We’re seriously rethinking that career as a celebrity “petworking coach” — but the Puppy Bowl referee also has one of the best jobs in the universe.
Tune in now to watch videos of the pre-game show, “Training Camp Confidential” and countdown to the puppy bowl on AnimalPlanet.com, or tune in on Sunday February 4th starting at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST to the Animal Planet channel.