Posts tagged "Puppy Bowl"

In what's become an annual awww-producing tradition, this year's Puppy Bowl has a few new tricks up its sleeve. From chicken cheerleaders to the Kiss Cam to watching the whole thing in 3-D, Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VII just might make you forget about the Packers-Steelers game altogether!

Meet the Puppy-Meister
We recently caught up with the man who is in the middle of all the action: Puppy Bowl referee Andrew Schechter (who also serves as coordinating producer of the event). Schechter has been making tough "unnecessary-ruffness" calls for four years now and wouldn't have it any other way.

"Some children grow up wanting to be firefighters; others want to be astronauts," he says. "I grew up wanting to be the referee of adorable puppies pretending to play football in a miniature stadium. Dreams really do come true!"

Shelter Dogs Rule the Gridiron
This year he'll ref a picture-perfect lineup of a whopping 47 puppies! "They are all from different shelters. The puppies range in age from 7 to 16 weeks old, and there are 29 different breeds represented," he says. "Of course, the Puppy Bowl referee doesn't play favorites but, I must say, Puppy Bowl VII features some of the cutest and most rambunctious puppy players yet!"

The Puppy Bowl, the yearly pre-Super Bowl "competition" on Animal Planet, is back! To get the full scoop on the event, go to our Puppy Bowl preview, but for right now, just focus on the starting lineup. Oliver, above, is a 9-week-old Great Pyrenees who was found at Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue and will be running around the faux football field playing with other shelter dogs. As you can tell, this fur ball is ready to rumble.

To see all the canine players who will be gracing the field, click over to Animal Planet. Warning, the puppy photo gallery is so completely addicting you'll find it hard to break away.

AOL Extras
For more adorable behind-the-scenes action, be sure to checkout Popeater's visit to the Puppy Bowl as well as TV Squad's exclusive Puppy Bowl coverage.

The "ruff," tough and utterly adorable players take the field Sunday for Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VI, and referee Andrew Schechter will be back to keep the canine chaos in check. The Brooklyn native (and associate producer) of Puppy Bowl talks with Paw Nation about the big game for pet fans, including some exiting new additions for this year's match-up.

What will be familiar to viewers on Sunday?
The famous kitten halftime show is back again, as well as what we like to call the most innovative camera shot in sports: The water-bowl shot.

What are some of the new features for Puppy Bowl VI?
We're going to have hamsters piloting a miniature blimp above the field, which will give viewers a bird's eye view of the action. And for the first time ever we're going to have bunny-rabbit cheerleaders on the sidelines.

Was it hard to get the bunnies into the outfits?
Actually, none of the animals on Puppy Bowl wear clothes.

It sounds like that's a deliberate decision.
Absolutely. We like to keep them as natural as possible in a comfortable environment. That's what people tune in to see: Puppies being puppies.

Where do the players come from?
The filming takes place near Silver Spring, Md., just outside of D.C. Most of the puppies come from area shelters. We also have shelter dogs from Louisiana, Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Forget about the Colts and Saints. This Sunday, we're cheering for the puppies!

For the sixth consecutive year, the "Puppy Bowl" on Animal Planet will provide a fluffy and adorable alternative to the Super Bowl. Viewers will watch 43 puppies play on a scaled-down gridiron. And don't worry; a referee will be there to watch out for "unnecessary ruffness." The halftime entertainment will consist of 20 kittens, while bunny cheerleaders will grace the sidelines throughout the game and a blimp will be flown by some very talented hamsters.

In case that doesn't give you enough of the warm fuzzies, chew on this: All of the puppies, kittens, bunnies and hamsters came from shelters and rescue groups that can be found on PetFinder.com, and almost all of the animals are of mixed breed. Plus, "Puppy Bowl VI" has earned the American Humane Association's "No Animals Were Harmed"® end-credit disclaimer!

Itching to get in on the action? "Puppy Bowl VI" will run on Animal Planet this Sunday, Feb 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. (EST/PST), and you can bone up on the starting lineup before the opening kickoff. (We think Coco looks like she's got real chops, but we have a feeling Jersey Boy might have some serious moves.) If you can't get the rest of your Super Bowl party to change channels, you're still covered. Animal Planet has five consecutive repeats scheduled.