Puppy Bowl 2021: schedule, channel, lineup and everything you need to know

It’s Puppy Bowl time.

With 70 puppies from 22 different shelters, Sunday’s event will pit Team Ruff against Team Fluff in a canine football match for a common goal: to be adopted.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is the Puppy Bowl?

Don’t be fooled by the Roman numerals. This is Puppy Bowl no. 17, the last of a tradition that began in 2005.

The puppies are divided into two teams and placed in a football stadium the size of a canine to compete for “touchdowns”, but there is also a presentation of the national anthem, a halftime show, a play-by-play commentary and a “rufferee” .

Puppies playing during Puppy Bowl XVII.
The captain of the winning team wins a “Chewy Lombarky Trophy”, but in fact, all dogs win.
In the last 16 events, 100% of the dogs and kittens presented were adopted. (Yes, there are kittens – more on that later).

The Puppy Bowl aims to celebrate adoptable puppies and the shelters and staff who help them.

Who’s competing?

This year’s Puppy Bowl features dogs from nine states in the Northeast.

Puppies playing in the Puppy Bowl XVII.

You’ll meet Marshall, a deaf Boston Terrier who is training to be a therapy dog ​​for nurses at Covid-19.

You will learn about Mona, a 10-year-old mix of Toy Poodle from Los Angeles who does reiki healing sessions.

You’ll see five players with special needs and four hearing-impaired puppies, including Jett, a mix of Labrador with double-front amputation who loves to run on the field.

And all these players will be applauded from the sides for the first time by cheerleaders, Animal Planet said in a statement.
You can find the players here.

Are they just dogs?

Well no. On the one hand, this year’s Puppy Bowl will be very presidential.
First Lady Jill Biden filmed a public service announcement to air during the event, featuring the first two dogs, Champ and Major. Major is believed to be the first shelter dog with an address in the White House.
First Lady Jill Biden with the first dogs Champ and Major.
Longtime friends Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart will host, with Dan Schachner as the game’s rufferee. Celebrating 10 years of “rufferee” for the Puppy Bowl, Schachner will call penalties for dogsruff– housing and touchdowns.
Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.

ESPN host Steve Levy and “SportsCenter” host Sage Steele will make human comments.

And then – there are the kittens. Adoptable kittens will make the best of their lives at the annual Kitty Halftime Show.

Ok … I’m sold. Where do I watch?

You can watch this three-hour event on Discovery + and Animal Planet on Sunday, February 7, starting at 2:00 pm ET.

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