SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
Puppy Bowl 2012 starting lineup revealed
Animal Planet's hilarious Super Bowl half time distraction returns for its eighth showdown of cuteness.
Thu, Jan 26 2012 at 9:45 AM
Animal Planet
Even if Madonna doesn't somehow manage to phone in a performance during this year's Super Bowl halftime show, you're better off both mentally and visually changing channel and tuning into Animal Planet's 8th annual Puppy Bowl.
Yes, the Puppy Bowl - that serotonin-injecting display of ridiculousness that received "awwwws.." from more than 9.2 million viewers last year. Started in 2005, it features several hours of shelter pups playing with various football-related items while gerbils film from blimps, chickens and roosters cheer from the sidelines, and kittens put on a wild halftime show.
“When Animal Planet first called and told me that I would be working with 58 puppies, 20 cats, five pigs and one bird, I thought this would be the easiest gig of my career,” Dan Schachner, this year's "ref", said in a statement. “But after calling my first “terrier touchdown,” I can see why this is the toughest competition in sports today.”
New this year will the addition of piglets on the sideline - as well as a Twitter-tweeting bird to provide social media commentary. From the release:
All of the animals featured in Puppy Bowl VIII come from rescues and shelters across the United States. This year’s starting lineup includes puppies from spcaLA (California), All Star Pet Rescue (New Jersey), Go Boxer Rescue (Ohio), Pet Matchmaker Rescue (Pennsylvania), Furever Dachshund Rescue (Rhode Island) and Huts for Mutts Dog Rescue (Texas). Viewers who are interested in adopting a pet in their area can visit Petfinder.
A great cause wrapped around an equally cute production. Sorry Madonna, unless you've got puppies, kittens, and various other baby animals in your act, you're already an underdog.
Check out this year's Puppy Bowl starting lineup below.
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
- 9 habits that may do more harm than good
- 15 houseplants for improving indoor air quality - A breath of fresh air
- Jon Stewart explains the ‘Monsanto Protection Act’
- How to clean brass naturally
- Men and women literally see the world differently
- 10 false facts most people think are true
- Easy homemade soap
- 8 hair care treatments you can make yourself
- Indian man single-handedly plants a 1,360-acre forest
NEWSLETTER
ABOUT Michael d'Estries
Pop-culture expert covers green celebrities, arts & culture.
Advertisement
All of these adorable rescue pups were or can be found on petfinder.com, an online adoptable database, created to stop euthanasia in shelters.
OMG, they are the cutest!! Not being a big football fan, I watch this every year. What I didn't know until I read the article was that all these puppies are rescue dogs! What a great way to promote these adorable creatures! To all of the shelters and Anmal Planet, keep up the fantastic job you are doing!!!