Are you ready for the game this Sunday? We don’t mean that little contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. We’re talking about the BIG one, starring the most adorable of athletes: Puppy Bowl 2023!
Puppy Bowl XIX — the cutest sports event of the year — premieres Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2pm, on Animal Planet and will stream on discovery+—long before that other game starts. With more puppies and inspiring adoption stories than ever before, Puppy Bowl 2023 will highlight the work of rescues and shelters across the country who help animals find their fur-ever homes.
The furry fun begins with a pre-game show at 1pm to give audiences the inside scoop on the Puppy Bowl draft. This includes exclusive interviews with coaches and players, and lots of information about each puppy players’ breed mix and other cool traits.
All of the puppies featured in the game are animals from local rescues, including several based in NYC. (If you’re interested, you can check in with the pups’ local rescues to see if they’re still available for adoption!)
Now in its 19th year, Puppy Bowl 2023 will feature 122 puppies and 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states. For the first time, the game will feature a Native American animal organization and a puppy player from Dominica, West Indies.
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Puppy Bowl 2023: The Object of the Game
To start, the pups are divided into Team Ruff and Team Fluff . Both teams take to the gridiron to compete for the coveted “Lombarky” Trophy. As the puppies don adorable bandanas that indicate which team they’re on, the goal is to drag or carry chew toys to an end zone. The team with the most toys across the line wins.
It’s not all about the trophy though. Pups can also bring home the MVP (Most Valuable Puppy) or the Underdog Award.
Puppy Bowl referee Dan Schachner will return for his 12th of overseeing the stumbles and tumbles, and calling all puppy penalties and touches. Meanwhile, sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks will provide the play-by-play commentary.
What To Expect During the Game
Sprinkled throughout the three-hour event, 11 shelters from around the country will feature one of their puppies.
Other fan favorites are returning for Puppy Bowl 2023, too, including:
- The Puppy Cheer Squad
- The coveted water-bowl cam
- The slo-mo cam
- The Kitty Half-Time Show, featuring kittens available for adoption from three different shelters
During the game, audiences will also meet 11 special needs puppy players looking for their forever homes. These pooches include Julius, a hearing-impaired Dalmatian; Marmalade, a sight and hearing-impaired border collie-Australian cattle dog; and Mykonos, a American Staffordshire terrier-bulldog with a cleft palate.
Learn more about the puppy players at puppybowl.com, or follow Animal Planet on Instagram or Facebook.
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