RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Super Bowl wasn’t the only hotly anticipated game on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Animal Planet hosted the 19th annual Puppy Bowl. This year, some native Virginia pups hit the field.
Over 100 rescue puppies faced off in this year’s Puppy Bowl, divided into two teams — the blue-bandanaed Team Fluff and the red-sporting Team Ruff. The pups came from 67 shelters across the country.
One of the members of Team Fluff was Pepper, an Australian Shepherd that was adopted by a Richmond family in October. Pepper’s new family loves her for her energetic and playful personality, but they didn’t know even that Pepper had competed in the Puppy Bowl — which is pre-filmed in New York — under after the line up was announced.
“I guess right after Animal Planet announced the lineup, they text us and said, ‘by the way, you’ve been living with a celebrity for the last two months,’” Pepper’s owner Meghan Vandette told 8News last month.
Pepper — who competed under the name Cheeky Tinker — came from Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy, Virginia. Green Dogs brought five dogs to the Puppy Bowl this year — Pepper, along with a Dalmatian named Julius, a Great Pyrenees mix named Kayden, a Great Dane named Velma and a beagle named June.
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Cheeky Tinker, now “Pepper” was adopted by a Richmond family in October. She plays for Team Fluff in the 2023 Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Animal Planet) -
Allison, now “June” was one of the thousands of dogs rescued from the Envigo dog breeding facility in Cumberland, Va. She plays for Team Ruff in the 2023 Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Animal Planet) -
Julius, now “Mako” is a deaf dalmatian puppy who now resides in his seaside Chesapeake home with his family. He plays for Team Ruff in the 2023 Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Animal Planet) -
Kayden, now “Bear,” is a deaf great pyrenes mix. He is best described as a happy, bouncy, floppy boy who loves to explore all of the new things in the world. He now lives in Maryland with his people. Check him out duking it out for Team Ruff in the 2023 Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Animal Planet) -
Velma, now “Quinnlynn,” is a mischievous inquisitive great dane puppy, and was chosen for the Puppy Bowl due to her sweet nature and easygoing personality. Check her out playing for Team Fluff in this year’s Puppy Bowl. (Photo: Animal Planet)
June — originally named Allison — had an especially long journey to get to the Puppy Bowl. She was one of 11 beagles that were brought to Green Dogs after being rescued from the Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland last summer.
Ultimately, Team Fluff made the winning touchdown and took home the “Lombarky” trophy on Sunday. Pepper and Velma competed on the winning team, while June, Julius and Kayden were all members of Team Ruff.
The goal of the Puppy Bowl is to encourage people to adopt, not shop, and the program has seen a 100% success rate for finding the Puppy Bowl participants homes. All of the Green Dogs have been adopted by families in Virginia and Maryland since the Puppy Bowl was taped.
