While we were hanging out during Super Bowl Sunday last year, Wayne was channel surfing and happened across the Animal Planet‘s Puppy Bowl. He quit surfing so we could watch, knowing I’d get a kick out of it. We both ended up awing over the puppies romping about in a football field pen replica. And then we both cracked up over the Kitty Half Time Show, where a bunch of kittens with a carpeted stage enhanced with toys frolicked about.
I’d forgotten all about it until, in a turn of déjà vu, we were hanging out yesterday afternoon watching TV, Wayne was channel surfing, and he stumbled across Puppy Bowl III. So of course we stopped and watched again!
What is Puppy Bowl?
It’s Animal Planet’s version of the “Big Game.” Puppies pass, tackle, and fumble with each other or the variety of toys strewn across the field. (Sometimes both at once.) Cameras are often set up in unexpected places, like their water bowls, offering unique close ups of the pups during time outs.
It’s also a fun way for animal planet to raise awareness about the importance of adoption and the need for spaying and neutering.
This Year’s Players
Their pups, their tuff, and their ruff. Fourteen of them, ranging in age from nine weeks to sixteen weeks old, were let loose to cavort at will. Here’s a list of their names and breeds, but to see their head shots, visit the Puppy Bowl Players page on the Animal Channel’s website.
Bess the All American
Bomber the Samoyed
Gypsy the English Bulldog
Izzie the Cairn Terrier
Jacky the Pomeranian
Jackson the Golden Retriever
Larry the Vizsla Mix
Lucy the Shepard Mix
Milo the French Bulldog
Noah the Pekingese
Porsche the Boxer
Quesadilla the Terrier Mix
Sonny the Puggle (he’s my favorite!)
Spencer the Border Terrier
Vote for the MVP (“Most Valuable Puppy”) and Other Fun Stuff
If you happened to catch the show, you can submit your pick for the MVP. As of this posting, Larry’s got the lead with 35% of the votes. At 29%, Bomber’s his next closet competition, and Quesadilla’s in 3rd with 13%.
If you missed it, you can still watch! There’s clips from the show, a music video, and highlights from the Bissell Kitty Half Time Show in addition to a couple of other videos. (They’re all short, either about two minutes or just slightly over.)
There’s also a matching game (comprised of stills from the show) you can play to get in on the fun.
It’s a cute idea. My only complaint is I wish they named the entertainment that was featured during the half time show like they did with the players. Those kitties were a crack up!
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