Puppy Bowl XIX Featured Over 100 Adoptable Dogs — Here Are the Highlights
Published Feb. 13 2023, 12:33 p.m. ET
There are two kinds of people in this country: Those who watch the Super Bowl, and those who watch the Puppy Bowl.
In case you missed the latter this year, we're rounding up some of the highlights from Puppy Bowl XIX!
The game was filled with endless adorableness — as well as opportunities to adopt some of the cutest adoptable pups in the game. And in case you were wondering how the game actually works, basically, the dogs score points for each time they bring a chew toy into the end zones.
The two-hour TV special, which can be rewatched on Discovery Plus, featured expert commentary, music, and stories about the adoptable dogs throughout, making everything the dogs did on the field extremely entertaining, cute, and hilarious.
Keep reading for the highlights of the 2023 Puppy Bowl!
The Puppy Bowl roster featured over 100 adoptable dogs.
During the beginning of the Puppy Bowl, an announcer described the event as "the loudest call to action to adopt, not shop." In fact, the game featured more than 100 adoptable dogs from shelters and foster homes around the U.S.
The game also featured detailed profiles on 11 dogs throughout the game, and you can learn about the rest of the dogs — and maybe even adopt one! — on the Puppy Bowl website.
Two beagles rescued from the Envigo breeding facility got to play the Puppy Bowl.
Two of the rescued dogs featured at Puppy Bowl XIX were Allison and Briscoe, two beagles rescued from Envigo RMS’s Cumberland Virginia breeding facility, which bred beagles and sold them to animal testing labs, as reported by The Humane Society.
The facility made news headlines in 2022, when it was cited for violating the Animal Welfare Act — and it was forced to free nearly 4,000 beagles, all of whom were then put up for adoption. The facility has since closed, and even Meghan Markle and Prince Harry adopted one of the dogs!
The Puppy Bowl went into overtime — for the first time.
On Super Bowl Sunday, a few hours before the Eagles and Chiefs took the field, the 19th annual Puppy Bowl aired on Animal Planet, featuring a roster of adoptable dogs from around the U.S.
When the second half of the game ended, Team Fluff and Team Ruff were tied, bringing the game into overtime. According to CNN, this is the first time a Puppy Bowl has ever gone into overtime.
Team Fluff was crowned the winner of Puppy Bowl XIX, with a final score of 87-83.
The overtime round helped make the pre-taped game one of the most exciting Puppy Bowls to date. In the end, Team Fluff was victorious, defeating Team Ruff 87-83. A dog named Vivian scored the game-winning touchdown — girl power!
Josh Allenhound was voted most pupular.
Leading up to the big game, people could visit the Puppy Bowl website to vote for the Most Pupular player. This year, the honor went to Josh Allenhound, a Golden Retriever Mix.
Hailing from Buddy's Second Chance Rescue in Buffalo, N.Y., and playing for Team Fluff, Josh Allenhound won round after round of the bracket, beating out a tiny Shih Tzu named Moocow for the final title of Most Pupular.
Pickle was voted MVP.
Fans could also vote online for the Bissell MVP of the game. With 56 percent of the votes, the honor went to a Pomeranian named Pickle, hailing from Little Dog Rescue in St. Cloud, Fla. He beat out Kokobean, who had 28 percent of the votes, and Vivianne, who had 16 percent.
"Truly an incredible, timeless performance," the official Puppy Bowl account wrote on Instagram, commemorating Pickle's win.
Congrats to all the dogs for playing their hearts out at the Puppy Bowl XIX. We hope that the visibility of playing in the Puppy Bowl will help them all get adopted ASAP — we're already counting down the days till next year's big game.
