The 19th yearly Puppy Bowl is here — with Team Ruff and Team Fluff eagerly waiting to go paw-to-paw.
The Lombarky Trophy is the longest-running televised adoption event, featuring 122 pups including 11 special needs dogs, duking it out on the field. The broadcast is a three-hour-long affair.
Referee Dan Schachner, who is coming back for his 12th year, informed The Post, “What sets this year apart is that we’re larger and superior compared to previous years.”
He stated, “Our primary goal is to promote animal adoption through this show, which showcases all the proud animals we have adopted over time, starting with Bowl Puppy.”
Puppies from 67 shelters across 34 states and one from Dominica, West Indies, as well as the first dog from a Native American organization, are competing for a forever home, which is considered the ultimate reward. For those who are not interested in watching the Super Bowl, they can instead enjoy Puppy Bowl Sunday.
Actually, the Puppy Bowl consistently achieves a 100% adoption rate — and Schachner anticipates that this year will be no different.
The majority of the dogs that are adopted get filmed in prior October, as he explained, “We do the shoot in advance because that’s when Puppy Bowl airs.”
Many loving families who are in need of adoption are assured that there are many more already adopted pups featured in the tri-state area. While there are also many puppies ready to find their forever homes at the featured rescues, the bowl always has adoptable puppies available for adoption, not just the on-screen stars of the Puppy Bowl.
“If you don’t see them in the field, you will see them in segments called “Adoptables,” where we feature dogs from shelters around the country that are currently up for adoption,” said Schachner.
The young pups will get into action, tumbling and growling, barking as they go towards the line goal. There is nothing like the Puppy Bowl at the Arizona State Farm Stadium, which was created within the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
Schachner stated that he utilizes his creativity to come up with new fouls, which are like traditional verbiage in the NFL. Many of the calls on the play are considered to be words that match the match. However, this does not mean that the puppies are immune to the referee’s calls because they are untrained canines. They must drag a toy into the end zone to win points.
He stated, “We strive to discover fresh ones that are enforced on canines. It’s all about attempting to be innovative with the sanctions that are present in the NFL and implement them on dogs.”
Unfortunately, some of the most attractive NFL players cannot be subjected to penalties for their excessive cuteness. Even though one player claims that he has trouble thinking up new ways to get into trouble, he admits that he can’t even be penalized by the experienced referee. Dogs can be flagged for puppy-only fouls, such as excessive cuddling and snoozing on the sidelines, or for excessive hydration.
I mean, I’m not going to get hit with anyone else in the NFL, but neither am I going to hit Patrick Mahomes with Tom Brady.
Inside the house, there isn’t a single person without tears in their eyes when a “lovely section” is shown, featuring adorable puppies happily running towards their new families. Schachner advised to endure until the lights dim and the champion is declared, in case the close-up shots of adorable snouts and wide-angle views of numerous puppies, captured from the multitude of cameras strategically placed on the field, aren’t sufficient to grab your attention.
He stated, “And that happens to be my preferred section.” “We obtain a small glimpse of existence after the Puppy Bowl and bringing them to their abodes, and they exhibit families collecting them.”
He stated, “However, the true motivation here, the genuine victory, the actual championship is these individuals obtaining a permanent residence and not enduring in a shelter indefinitely.” “Because we’re participating in a game, we’re enjoying ourselves, we’re spreading awareness regarding adoption.”
The kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.M. EST on Animal Planet, HBO, TBS, and discovery+. Before the game, viewers can watch a pregame show that includes exclusive interviews with the coaches and players. The show will also provide insight into the traits and breed of each team’s doggy mascot by offering a DNA test segment. Plus, audiences can even see earlier interviews with the team’s coaches and players.
The show’s short intermission segment called Kitty Half-Time will showcase three shelters for kittens that have felines available for adoption, while sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks will provide their detailed commentary during the broadcast.
Ruff Team
Button and Gilbert.
The “discoveries” they come across attract individuals to a playful celebration that is highly regarded by the community and piques curiosity. As described, they are lively and sociable, embodying the outgoing nature commonly associated with Haughton, Louisiana. These two Shih Tzu mixes from Rescue Road Ninna’s, named Gilbert and Button, are prepared to engage in a face-to-face encounter with their adversaries. They were abandoned with their other eight siblings in a plastic container at a nearby thrift store.
Prior to being adopted by a crew member in New York, Button, the puppy, was taken to Tennessee by Gilbert, his two dads.
Sugar Lump.
One of the nine pups brought Angel, the Pit Bull from Bulls Pit City, along with their mom Lump Sugar, arrived at the nursing home after being fully nursed by their mama. She stopped nursing them because they were too young and thankfully, she arrived with an upper respiratory infection.
The American Pekingese Bulldog mix, affectionately called the “Litter Tomato Heirloom,” has adopted Team Fluff for playing, including Crimson Rosella and Moonglow Beefsteak Hillbilly Legs Banana, Rose Chianti, and Cherry Fox.
She is completely relaxed and cuddly right away; don’t be fooled by her spunk, but once she hits the running ground, she is fearless and described as “feisty” and “energetic”. QB Lump Sugar is a real leader, a natural-born.
While the puppies all found a new residence, their mother, Leone, is currently searching for her permanent family.
Fluff Team
Asiago.
This Bassett Hound will have you smiling throughout the performance.
Reggiano and Parmesan, his adopted brothers, are alongside Asiago, one of the members of the “cheese boys,” in his new loving family. Asiago discovered his permanent residence after being relinquished by his initial owner, whose birth name was Duke.
Despite his gentle disposition, the hound from Tri-State Bassett Hound Rescue in Pennsville, New Jersey, is prepared to face the competition as a member of Team Fluff.
Marshmallow.
The most endearing canines ended up being “dirty” and “unaccustomed to socializing,” frightened, residing in a horse stable, at Aheinz57 Pet Rescue in DeSoto, Iowa. Marshmallow has been relinquished by their proprietor, one of five siblings.
Marshmallow is a Great Pyrenees Australian Cattle Dog who has already been adopted by a family, who loves and protects him, and he is a total lovebug. He gets along with any puppy he meets and is described as “full of energy” and playful.
Bacon and Eggs.
They’re an excellent pair.
The Eggs and Bacon arrived together on the doorstep of the Blue Water Humane Society in Clyde, Michigan. The young Chow Chow and Border Collie mixes were too little to be away from their mama, so the staff nursed them with extra attention and care. Thankfully, the pups have grown up to be very “smart” and playful.