Puppy Bowl XXII Expands Focus to Include Senior Dogs in Adoption Campaign
This year's Puppy Bowl is breaking new ground by not only featuring adorable puppies but also giving much-deserved attention to older dogs. The annual television event, now in its 22nd iteration, will include a special halftime showdown between Team Oldies and Team Goldies, specifically designed to showcase senior dogs and remind viewers that these mature pets also need loving homes.
Changing Perceptions About Pet Adoption
Victoria Schade, the show's lead dog trainer and wrangler, explains the importance of highlighting older dogs: "Everyone wants the puppy and, unfortunately, the reality of puppyhood is it's tough. I think people don't realize that until they're deep in the thick of it. That's the beauty of an older dog, an adult dog, a senior dog: They bring a different sort of calm."
Puppy Bowl XXII will bring together 150 dogs from 72 shelters across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. The event airs Sunday, February 9th, with simulcast coverage across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max, and discovery+.
From Counter-Programming to Cultural Phenomenon
The Puppy Bowl first debuted in 2005 as counter-programming to the Super Bowl. The format remains delightfully simple: dogs score touchdowns on a gridiron carpet when they cross any goal line with a toy in their mouth. The puppies are divided into two teams—Team Fluff and Team Ruff—with each dog receiving a creative nickname like "Slick Rick" or "J-Paw" and a specialty designation such as "Epic end zone dance."
While the pre-taped show offers viewers an opportunity to watch adorable dogs play with chew toys, wag their tails furiously, and even lick the camera, its deeper purpose remains promoting animal adoption. Joseph Boyle, head of content for Discovery Channel, emphasizes this mission: "The message of Puppy Bowl is about helping animals who would otherwise not have a great chance in life, especially even more acute in some cases with older dogs because they are often overlooked."
Growing Impact and Viewership
The Puppy Bowl has evolved into a programming tent pole for Discovery. Boyle notes its significance: "It's gigantically important for us. I don't know that there's a lot of television out there that does advocacy in such a strong way." The inaugural Puppy Bowl attracted nearly 6 million viewers, while last year's event drew 12.8 million viewers—significantly more than the 8.66 million who watched the recent Golden Globes.
This television event has become a godsend for animal shelters and rescue groups that typically lack the resources for extensive advertising. Mallory Kerley, marketing director for Muddy Paws Rescue in New York City, explains how the show helps potential adopters: "Viewers can check out different breeds and personalities and realize there are other options than breeders. If they can see a puppy that they fall in love with onscreen, hopefully they can find that one also in a local shelter or rescue."
Addressing Current Adoption Challenges
Animal shelters and rescue groups report that the massive spike in adoptions during the pandemic has leveled off and recently declined as families face economic challenges. Kerley observes: "When you can't afford to put food on your own table, you can't even think about feeding or adopting a dog. So that has been a challenge in the rescue world as a whole."
Schade, who adopted a puppy during last year's Puppy Bowl to be friends with her older dog, emphasizes the special qualities senior dogs bring to the event: "They bring a different energy to the field. With the puppies, we have that unbridled puppyhood enthusiasm, whereas the senior dogs they've got a playbook. They've been through a lot and they're going to strategize a little harder than those puppies are."
Advantages of Adopting Senior Dogs
Senior dogs offer several advantages over puppies that potential adopters should consider:
- They're often already house-trained
- They're typically comfortable being alone for reasonable periods
- Many have already learned basic commands like sit or stay
Kerley explains: "They really make great dogs for people who don't want to be home every two hours checking in on an eight-week-old puppy, who want to be able to take their dog and have them be calm."
Schade offers important advice for prospective adopters: "The dog you see in the shelter environment isn't necessarily the dog you're going to end up with. It is such a challenging environment—it's loud, it's crowded, it's unfamiliar—so, of course, you're going to see a different version of who that dog is at their core."
She continues: "Once they have the opportunity to have that very important decompression period, which is typically about three months, you start to see the real dog. Once they're through that, you get to see this incredible devotion, love and gratitude for their new life."
Dispelling Myths About Shelter Animals
The Puppy Bowl helps challenge misconceptions about animals in the shelter system. Schade notes: "It's helping dispel myths about animals in the shelter system—like that they're broken or that there's only one kind of dog available. Look at our players and you'll see that's not true."
She specifically addresses the common saying about older dogs: "There's the expression, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks,' which is not true. Dogs love learning for their entire lives and as long as we're focused on science-backed dog friendly training, there's no reason why an older dog can't learn anything and everything."
How to Watch Puppy Bowl XXII
The Puppy Bowl airs Sunday, February 9th at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific and will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, and truTV. The show repeats throughout the day on these channels. For streaming options, viewers can access the event on HBO Max and discovery+.
As Kerley from Muddy Paws Rescue—which has sent two puppies to this year's event—concludes: "I'm not sure which team we're going to be rooting for. We're going to have to root for them all. It's definitely the cutest day on television. Even my dog loves watching along."
