Go Behind-The-Scenes of Puppy Bowl 2015: Where Bryan Adams, Hemingway and Mr. Fantastic All Come Together!
courtesy of AnimalPlanet.com
What brings 85 puppies, 21 kittens, 5 goats and 5 hamsters together for the most talked-about animal sports event of the year? It’s Puppy Bowl 2015, silly! Who can resist Animal Planet’s delicious alternative to the big game, that’s become a big game in itself. With 13.5 million viewers tuning in last year, the Puppy Bowl has become the go-to event for comic relief and the cuddly factor on game day (in case Deflate Gate wasn’t enough). 🙂
The pups, all between the ages of 12 and 21 weeks and all shelter dogs (who quickly get adopted), stampede, chase, tumble and roll around a miniature football stadium created to mimic the real thing. With plush and tug toys strewn about to entice their little charges, Animal Planet handlers coax the puppies to field goal glory.
Hamptons Pet magazine went behind-the-scenes of Puppy Bowl XI, met the young athletes taking the field and watched the game and all of its canine hijinks. Yours truly was the lucky reporter. With the Superbowl and Puppy Bowl XI coming up this Sunday, February 1st, it’s high time I shared some behind-the-scenes moments from this year’s game. So, grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable, because there’s going to be some playing, pooping and peeing in your immediate future.
Pups prepping in the green room
Photo: Jody Miller-Young
Fun Facts About the Puppy Bowl
- Stage manager, Paul Tarascio, oversees twenty-one cameramen, Go Pro operator, Hannah Ford, on-site trainer, Victoria Schade and poop patroller, Karen, who are at the ready to capture the action and direct the puppies with gentle encouragement.
- This year is the first time the Puppy Bowl has official team names: the Ruff team and the Fluff team (yup, that’s right!). Meet the starting line up.
- 12-14 puppies take the field at any given time, but there’s a second string of pups waiting in the wings. Meet the second string.
- There’s an actual Puppy Bowl XI Fantasy Game. Draft your fantasy team!
- The inspiration for the first Puppy Bowl in 2005 came from the Yule Log Christmas program, something that was supposed to be filler on Christmas Day and ended up becoming really popular. Who could go against the Superbowl?! According to Melinda Toporoff, the Executive Producer of Animal Planet and the Puppy Bowl (for the past 7 years), people were sitting around a table saying, well, let’s just put a bunch of puppies up there. Lo and behold, it was a hit!
- Puppy Bowl planning begins in August
- Puppy Bowl is the most-watch special on Animal Planet and was #2 behind the Superbowl in its time slot last year.
Waiting to take the field
Photo: Jody Miller-Young
This Year’s Stars
- With names like Bryan Adams, Hemingway, Faulkner and Mr. Fantastic, you might think you’re going to an eclectic artsy-meets-bodybuilding event, and you wouldn’t be far off! These little cuties are tough, resilient and as beautiful as works of art, as they rabble-roused around the field.
- One of my picks for MVP is Bubba, a 15 week old Chihuahua mix from the Florida Little Dog Rescue. Bubba was in the middle of every scrum and ran the field like a pro. Post game, former Pet Age journalist, Michelle Maskaly, who volunteered to help out that day, fell in love and adopted the little guy. Now named Maddox and seven months old, he’s a happy, sweet and, I think, calmer dog.
Bubba then…in the Ruff team starting line up
Maddox (Bubba) today, at seven months
Photo: Michelle Maskaly
Half-Time Teasers
Oh, what Animal Planet has in store for you! Melinda filled me in (but she wouldn’t divulge details of the Katy Perry segment), and this year won’t disappoint! Tune in to see:
- Dwarf goats, hamsters and Katy Perry? You’ll have to watch to find out what this combo is doing!
- Meep, the tweeting cockatiel, is back reporting from the sidelines. Yip-meep!
- The kittens will take over the control room. Can you say total chaos? A do not miss!
Ref Dan getting down and dirty with the pups
courtesy of AnimalPlanet.com
Game Play Calls
Ref Dan Schachner has the best job in the world! Snuggling with pups (no, he doesn’t show favoritism), bringing attention to shelter puppies for adoption and more snuggling with pups…what could be better than that?! And, he calls ’em like he sees ’em. Ref Dan’s play-by-play calls on mischievous puppy ears are hilarious. Some of my faves this year:
- “Piling on the pooch! That’s 10 yards. C’mon, you know you did it!”
- “Touchdown, Team Ruff! That’s you, Bubba; soak it in!”
- “Penalty! Terrorizing the terrier! Five yards for you, buddy!”
- “Hang on, we’ve got some pee pee on the logo….” (we heard that one every couple of minutes!)
Puppy analysts Rott Weiler, Jack Russell and reporter James Hound debate on the pre-game show
courtesy of AnimalPlanet.com
Covering Puppy Bowl XI was one of the most fun things I’ve done. I’ll end with an entertaining video from Animal Planet’s pre-game show called the Puppy Bowl Superbowl Puppy Predictor (can you say that five times fast?).
Can a gaggle of pups predict the Superbowl team winner? With two tasty team cakes and enthusiastic eaters…well, maybe! Have a look.
Watch Puppy Bowl XI on Animal Planet, Sunday, February 1st at 3PM EST.
Who’s your MVP pick in the Puppy Bowl line-up?
