For some Americans, the Super Bowl is the most anticipated televised event of the year, but for other Americans, there’s another show that day that they are tuning in to watch.
It’s America’s cutest show — the Puppy Bowl.
This year, Team Fluff beat Team Ruff 87-83 in the Puppy Bowl. CNN reported that Vivienne the bulldog mix from Colorado scored the game winning touchdown.
What is the Puppy Bowl?
The Puppy Bowl is a charity event that runs on the same day as the Super Bowl.
It takes place inside a puppy-sized football stadium built for the event. Puppies are assigned to play either on Team Ruff or Team Fluff. This upcoming Puppy Bowl is the 19th time that the event has been put on.
Each of the puppies wears a bandana so that viewers can know what team they play for. Then, the puppies play with each other using many toys in the arena. What happens might be the cutest program in America — more than a dozen puppies playing with each other for hours. According to Sports Illustrated, puppies can score points by dragging a toy across the finish line on either side — this is considered a touchdown. Cheerleaders line the sidelines to cheer on the puppies.
The event gathers puppies from different shelters and is designed to increase awareness about the need to adopt dogs. Animal Planet, which broadcasts the event each year, said, “Puppy Bowl is the pinnacle of competition, cuteness and pet rescue.”
This event has been particularly successful for puppies.
The program boasts a 100% adoption rate. CBS News reported that the puppies come from shelters all across the U.S. and Mexico. Each year, all of the puppies that participate in the Puppy Bowl are adopted. Animals that have yet to be adopted from this year’s competitions can be found on their website.
The event has led to other similar events, like the Dog Bowl. CBS News said, “This show has been so successful at getting puppies adopted that this year Animal Planet has started the Dog Bowl, so older dogs — who can be difficult to place — get a chance for what Mango and the other puppies have now: a permanent home.”
How to watch the Puppy Bowl
Viewers can tune into the Puppy Bowl, which is a three hour program, on Feb. 12 at noon MST. It’s available on Animal Planet and Discovery+ in addition to Hulu or YouTubeTV.
More puppies than ever are playing this year. CNN reported, “There will be more puppies playing — 122 from 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states — and, for the first-time, the competition will feature a Native American animal organization and a puppy player from Dominica, West Indies.”