How to Enjoy the Puppy Bowl with Seattle Seahawks Coach Cooper and Two-Legged Star Joey
The teams are ready for the ruff-est game on Super Bowl Sunday – the 19th annual Puppy Bowl.
The pooch lover’s pre-show for Sunday’s Super Bowl, which airs before the big game (2pm EST/11am PST), returns.
Puppy Bowl XIX features perennial pooch powerhouses Team Ruff and Team Fluff battling it out for the Lombardy Trophy. Each team is filled with adorable (and adoptable) pups who frolic on the lawn of a model stadium for the three-hour show.
This year’s Lovefest will feature 122 puppies from 67 animal shelters and animal shelters in 34 states. The teams include 11 special needs puppy players looking for forever homes, including Julius, a hearing-impaired Dalmatian, and Mykonos, an American Staffordshire Terrier/Bulldog with a cleft palate.
Here’s how to watch Puppy Bowl 2023 and what you should know about it.
2022 Puppy Bowl: Meet the adorable dogs from last year’s game
Joey will roll into the “puppy bowl”.
Puppy Bowl 2023 Highlights
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Puppy Bowl XIX begins Sunday with 122 puppies in the annual Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff match-up.
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Standouts include Cooper, a Seattle dog who trained with Seahawks star Shelby Harris, and Joey, a two-legged, wheeled terrier.
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You will see kittens during the Kitty Halftime Show.
What time and on which channel is the Puppy Bowl?
The game has its largest viewership ever, simulcasting for the first time on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, HBO Max and Discovery+. Puppy Bowl XIX begins with a pre-game show (1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST) with information on the competing dogs vying for the Lombardy Trophy.
Puppy Bowl umpire Dan Schachner is returning in his 12th year calling for puppy penalties and touchdowns for the main event, which begins at 2 EST/11 PST. Sports reporters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks will provide play-by-play commentary.
Who are the stars of Puppy Bowl 2023 and how will we see them?
Fan favorites like the water bowl cam, slo-mo cam, and end zone pylon cams allow for viewing from any angle.
The show features spotlight segments on each player, including Cooper, a Boston Terrier/Boxer mix from the Seattle Humane animal shelter. Cooper attended Seattle Seahawks training camp for a one-on-one coaching session with Shelby Harris on the defensive end, which could give Team Fluff a step up — and make Cooper a Most Valuable Puppy (MVP) contender.
Also keep an eye out for Velma the Great Dane, the biggest pup in the game who promises big goals.
But Team Ruff is stacked, with players like Joey — a terrier born without front legs — Joey is quick on a two-wheeled cart but likes to hop into the end zone on two legs.
Will Kittens Play in the Puppy Bowl?
At halftime the puppies leave the field and it’s cat time. The Kitty Halftime Show features adoptable kittens from three shelters showing off their belongings and doing what they do best – playing with cat toys.
Can you adopt Puppy Bowl dogs (and cats)?
Yes, every dog and cat can be adopted. But the Puppy Bowl will be taped over five days in October and cut into the Super Sunday Show. So the dogs and cats could have been adopted in the months in between. Viewers are encouraged to inquire about potential pooches at the mentioned shelters. Even if they have a forever home, there might be another MVP waiting.
Who won the 2022 Puppy Bowl?
Team Fluff won the 18th Puppy Bowl 2022 against Team Ruff in a close match with a final score of 73-69. Kirby, a Labrador retriever and companion dog in training, assisted Team Fluff’s victory with an unprecedented double touchdown and was named Most Valuable Puppy.
In December, Kirby was paired with retired Army Sergeant Major Kevin Bittenbender and introduced to the Houston Texans on the field at NRG Stadium.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to Watch Puppy Bowl XIX with a Seattle Seahawk-Trained Dog
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