The Super Bowl may be the most-watched game of the year, but the Puppy Bowl is FAR more intense. Sure, I was happy to see the Chiefs win, but that joy paled in comparison to seeing Team Ruff finally pull off a win after two consecutive years of Team Fluff reigning champion. With that being said, here is a recap of Puppy Bowl XX: the sporting event of the year!
Puppy Bowl XX had one-hundred and thirty-seven puppy players一the most seen in Puppy Bowl history! For the twentieth anniversary of the event, they introduced the Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame, inviting many of the greatest pup-letes to be honored and even giving them trophies! I was thrilled to see Chunky Monkey from XVII honored with a trophy. She was an adorable Chow Chow and an excellent napper.
The entire game was neck-in-neck! Team Fluff coach Kyle Shanahound and Team Ruff coach Nick Furriani fought hard to bring their teams to victory. Francine the pug brought Team Fluff their first two touchdowns, leaving Team Ruff feeling rough. But when Vanessa came into the game, she was unhinged. The Yorkshire Terrier mix blocked Thomas’s cheeky attempt at pushing the ball into the endzone, even taunting him with the toy. She earned Team Ruff their first touchdown, followed by Willie. The first quarter ended with a tie of 14-14, leaving watchers biting their nails wondering what would happen next.
Peanut Pretzel the pug fought fur-ociously against Thomas and Lou Lou of team fluff, but could not stop the latter from scoring a touchdown. Vanessa was so angry, she pulled off Peanut Pretzel’s bandana! The ref had to step in and give her a penalty for “intentional stripping”. Tornado the Boxer-German Shepherd mix then swooped in, giving Team Ruff another touchdown and tying the score 21-21.
Guy Furreri the Shepherd-Poodle mix was a Team Ruff rockstar, fighting a tug of war with Arthur and narrowly missing a touchdown. Sierra, the German-Pyraneese mix,was forced out of the endzone but managed to score a touchdown for Team Fluff, making the score 28-21.
Mr Bean was born without his front legs, but the Papillion mix packed a punch and earned Team Ruff three more points for their first field goal! Harvey the Pug was a personal favorite on Team Fluff, sleeping to the side as his fellow pups put together their plays. Raine the Pitbull mix ended the first half with a touchdown for Team Ruff, score 28-31.
The kitten halftime show was the best I’ve seen in the Puppy Bowl thus far. It took place in Vegas, with the cats gambling with swaggy shades, cool chains, a couple of drinks, and even a honeymoon! Purr-shur and DJ Whiskers played some incredible tunes, while Harry Klawdini performed magic tricks. It ended with a marvelous bike jump by Kitten Kineval. It was, truly, the cat’s meow.
Captain Chaos started the third quarter with a break for the endzone. The Boxer/Pit-Bull mix ran with Blake on his tail, scoring a touchdown for Team Fluff, 35-21. A dog streaker then entered the field, causing the referee to run over and tie a bandana as it ran across the field.
Vanessa returned to the spotlight, scoring another touchdown for Team Ruff and a well-deserved nomination for MVP, 35-38. Fred the terrier mix seized a toy, using his fluff to stuff Vanessa to the side and earn a touchdown for Team Fluff, 42-38. Courage the Chihuahua-Beagle kept his ears open and tried to sneak towards the end zone to score a touchdown for Team Fluff. Moosh the Australian Shepherd mix had a great defense, tracking and blocking him and managing to score a touchdown for Team Ruff! 42-45.
Sweetpea then entered the mix, a small but mighty Cavapoowith a Na-paw-leon complex. She was excited to aid Team Ruff but a bit intimidated, sitting to the side and needing a pup talk from assistant Ruff-eree Whistle. Moosh once again took charge, squishing Mimi along with teammate Cookie and earning another touchdown for Team Ruff, 42-52. Inez and Betty the Australian Cattle Dog/Poodle mix fought a fierce tug of war, with Inez managing to snag the toy and secure a touchdown for Team Fluff, ending the third quarter 49-52.
Romeo the Lab/Poodle Mix ran over a puppy hurdle but was quickly stopped by Bailey the Chinese Shar-Pei / Norwegian Elkhound, who tackled him and secured a touchdown for Team Fluff. This gave a strong start to the fourth quarter, with a score of 56-52. Sweetpea finally entered the field, hyping up her teammate Betty to score a touchdown! 56-59
Levi, the Great Dane and largest dog in Puppy Bowl history scored a touchdown for Team Fluff, setting the score 59-59. Ozzie the Great Pyrenees / Treeing Walker Coonhound and Rebekah the German Shepherd / Neapolitan Mastiffwent head to head, with Ozzie breaking off and earning yet another touchdown for Team Fluff, 66-59. It seemed like Team Fluff would pull off a third consecutive win, but Stryker the Border Collie mix scored a field goal for Team Ruff, 66-62.
Linus the Beagle and Greyson the Australian Shepherd tackled each other as Willie the Bloodhoundheaded towards an endzone, assisted by Team Ruff teammates Small Ed the Bulldog and Tornado the Boxer / German Shepherd to a touchdown for Team Ruff, 66-69. Thomas the Australian Cattle Dog / Doberman Pinscher then tied the score 69-69 with a field goal.
In the final minute of the game, Tater and Dee Dee were in a tug of war, both desperate to clench their win. This distraction allowed Cookie to earn a field goal in the last three seconds of the game, a well-earned victory for Team Ruff, 69-72. Harvey won the Underdog award, and Moosh won MVP. Sweetpea, unfortunately, passed away due to health issues before the airing of this year’s Puppy Bowl. The game was dedicated to her and her small but sweet honor.
The Puppy Bowl is a fun alternative to the Super Bowl. After all, who doesn’t love watching cute puppies and kittens for a few hours? However, it serves a larger purpose than entertaining: it finds these pups and kits homes. The dogs featured in each Puppy Bowl are all adopted and find forever families often before the games even air. If you’re looking to adopt a pet, be sure to visit local shelters, such as the Animal Welfare Association and the Voorhees Animal Orphanage, and give a pet its fur-ever home.
