Don’t want to watch the Super Bowl? Try the Puppy Bowl. This funny and adorable show that airs annually on Animal Planet includes lots of puppies running around on a mini football field scoring touchdowns with toys. This mock football game aired on the same day as the Super Bowl, meaning this year you can watch it on the Discovery channel on Sunday, February 8th at 1 pm.
The Puppy Bowl first aired in 2005 with only about 5.58 million viewers. Since then, viewership of the Puppy Bowl has risen to 12.8 million for the 21st Puppy Bowl in 2025. Some factors that have contributed to this increase in viewership of the Puppy Bowl is its association with the Super Bowl due to them being aired at the same time, the appeal to people of seeing a ton of cute puppies, and the increase in the amount of animals showcased.
If you’re not a dog person, don’t worry, the Puppy Bowl has something for all types of animal lovers. For a half-time performance for this mock football game, a kitty half-time show was created, this not only added a bit more humor to the production but also to gain more attraction and interest in their show. To further their audience to even more animal lovers, in 2010 the Puppy Bowl included cheerleaders that were rabbits, and have since had cheerleading squads of guinea pigs, chickens, penguins, and more.
The Puppy Bowl is always filmed in advance of Super Bowl day, this way they are able to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals by having time to take breaks. The Puppy Bowl production team also includes a veterinarian who is always present during filming for any emergencies and to monitor correct treatment of the animals. By filming in advance the show is also able to include footage of people “training” the puppies for the Puppy Bowl, which usually includes tug of war and playing catch. By acting as if the puppies are serious athletes in this event the show appeals to watchers of the real Super Bowl and makes the overall vibes of the show more entertaining.
The amount of puppies that have participated in the puppy has risen each year and in more recent years has included special needs puppies (amputees, blind, deaf). This year’s puppy bowl line up includes 137 puppies, 11 of which are special needs. Some of these puppies are Asiago, Baguette, Brûlée, Chappel Bone, and Rupaw. All of these puppies come from many different shelters from almost all US states and some other countries. Although the Puppy Bowl is a fun alternative to the Super Bowl, it’s main purpose is to get all the puppies, kittens, and animals adopted. They are also trying to raise awareness of the importance of adopting pets from shelters and of rescuing animals. Throughout the entire run time of the Puppy Bowl information about the puppies is given and also their backstories. During the show viewers are given the opportunity to vote on their favorite puppies and to adopt any of their favorite participants.
The Puppy Bowl is played very similarly to a real football game, the puppies are let onto a mini football field that has numerous toys spread out and has two endzones on either side. There are also many water bowls placed on the football field for the puppies to use. The goal is for the puppies to pick up a toy and get it into either endzone, scoring their team (Team Ruff or Team Fluff) a touchdown. The Puppy Bowl also has its own referee (Dan Schachner) who calls touchdowns, fouls, gives pep talks to the dogs, and introduces all of the puppies as they come onto the field. For the first 10 years of the puppy bowl no winning team has been recorded. However, over the next 11 years Team Ruff won 5 Puppy Bowls and Team Fluff won the other six. At the moment it is up in the air of who this year’s Puppy Bowl winner will be. Watch the Discovery Channel on February 8th at 1 pm to see who wins.
