Though the Puppy Bowl, which closely mimics the Super Bowl, is fun, the show’s primary purpose is to help find the dogs a loving home. This year’s participants come from 48 shelters across 25 U.S. states and territories that suffered natural disasters in 2017, including Houston, Puerto Rico, and Florida. Among them are Moonshine, a sight-impaired and deaf Border Collie, Sophie, a three-legged Goldendoodle, and Luna, a Pomeranian mix with a cleft palate. Mango, a Chihuahua/American Staffordshire terrier mix from Mexico will be the game’s first international player. “It’s really about the rescue and welfare of pets. This is just one of those fun [ways to] heighten the awareness of adoption,” said Animal Planet’s general manager Patrice Andrews. The good news is that since parts of the Puppy Bowl, which was filmed in November 2017, have been available for preview on the Animal Planet Channel website for a few months, many of the rescue dogs have already found homes!
