On Friday night, during the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics, Wayne just had to do what most men in charge of the remote feel the need to do: channel surf. But I’m not going to fault him this time. If it wasn’t for his ADD I wouldn’t have discovered Animal Planet’s Puppy Olympics.
What’s Puppy Olympics?
It’s actually called Puppy Games 2008, but I can’t stop calling it Puppy Olympics.
From what I gather it’s the first year Animal Planet’s doing it. It’s very similar to when they do Puppy Bowl. Except instead of a football field, they have Olympic-specific venues with events ranging from track and field to gymnastics, boxing, soccer, and swimming.
Basically, they just let the puppies loose on the different courses to romp and play…er, compete…at will.
Are Different Countries Represented?
Yes! That’s the really neat thing about it. Countries are represented by breeds. Specifically, they’re represented by where the breed originated.
There aren’t near as many nations represented as in the real Olympics, but there’s a fair smattering of countries nonetheless. In addition to the United States, there’s China, the Republic of Malta, England, Germany, France, Central Europe, Scotland, Norway, Russia, and Australia.
The even neater thing, because some breeds are mixed, some countries are also mixed. Like Gunner, a Husky/Chow Chow mix who’s representing both China and Russia. Or Balto, a Weimaraner/ Poodle Mix (Weirmardoodle) representing both Germany and Central Europe.
Do They Win Medals?
Sure enough. Gold, silver, and bronze goes to the top pups in their event. They even have medal ceremonies where the pups prance out wearing their well-earned Olympic bling! (In a few cases they were tripping over it because it was too big for their necks. Adorable!)
What About the Cats? Do They Get in the Act Too?
Sure enough! Whereas Puppy Bowl has the Kitty Halftime Show, Puppy Games has the Kitty Show, which kicks off the Puppy Games. (In other words, it’s their version of opening ceremonies.)
When Can I See It?
You can see clips by clicking here. But according to the schedule on Animal Planet’s site, they’ll be replaying the full spectacle on August 23 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (Check your local listings because it doesn’t specify the time zone so I don’t know if that’s EST or not.)
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