Animal Planet Puppy Bowl 2020 - February 2

Written by Australian Dog Lover 11:28:00 - 0 Comments

This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. 

If you couldn't care less about football, the big game you may want to watch is the Puppy Bowl XVI featuring a much cuddlier roster of players who will take the field to compete for the annual Chewy “Lombarky” trophy.

A lot of people don't know this but unlike its human-based rival event, the Puppy Bowl does not happen live. It was actually filmed back in October, using multiple cameras and rotating its furry participants in and out. The footage is then cut down to highlight the cutest and most action-filled moments possible! The results are then kept under lock and 
key.

Puppy Bowl XVI airs on Sunday 2nd February at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on Animal Planet. (The pregame show starts at 2 p.m. ET.) 

Scenes from the 2020 Puppy Bowl on Sunday 2nd February, 2020.
Damian Strohmeyer/ Animal Planet

Meet some of this year’s Puppy Bowl adorable players

As happens each year, dozens of furry players will be competing for either Team Ruff or Team Fluff for the biggest prize in doggy sports. And as anyone who’s tuned in to past Puppy Bowls knows, these dogs are also looking for loving forever homes. 

In years past, every single Puppy Bowl puppy (as well as every halftime show kitten) has found their forever home (some are already adopted by the time the game airs). To ease the transition from the shelter to new home, each dog receives an adoption starter kit from Chewy.

The class of 2020 features 96 adoptable dogs coming from 61 shelters and rescue organisations across 25 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, making this Puppy Bowl XVI the biggest event ever. 

Among the paws-itively adorable players are Sol, a Chihuahua/Border Collie mix who came all the way from Cartegena, Colombia (accompanied by Puppy Bowl host Jill Rappaport) to compete in the big game, and Jack, a Chihuahua mix picked by comedian and animal rescue advocate Whitney Cummings for the big day.

(L-R) Lucca and Maverick | Animal Planet

There’s also Lucca, a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix from Texas Chihuahua Rescue; Rummy, an Australian Cattle Dog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix from Rocky Mountain Puppy Rescue; and Maverick, a Dachshund/Pekingese mix from Virginia Beach SPCA.

Some special needs dogs will also take the field ...

(L-R) Filbert and Rooster | Animal Planet

This year’s Puppy Bowl will also feature five special needs dogs who are hoping to be adopted.

Ferris is a three-legged Labrador Retriever mix, while Rooster is an American Staffordshire Terrier /Bulldog mix with a cleft palate. There are two hearing-impaired pups, a Great Dane named Kismet and a Chihuahua mix named Paprika. There’s also Filbert, a blind and hearing-impaired Shetland Sheepdog mix from the Double J Dog Ranch, a sanctuary in Idaho for dogs with special needs.

Of course, puppies aren’t the only dogs that need homes. 

That’s why Animal Planet also hosts the Dog Bowl, which features adoptable pooches who are a bit older (but no less in need of love).  

* Spoiler Alert: Team Fluff took home the esteemed “Lombarky” trophy during the 2020 event! *

What if you’re a cat lover?

While you’ll see some kitties at halftime during the Puppy Bowl, cat lovers will want to tune in to Hallmark Channel, when Kitten Bowl VII airs on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. This year’s event will feature more than 100 rescued kittens from around the U.S. 

Hallmark hosts the event in partnership with North Shore Animal League of America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation.

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