2017 Puppy Bowl Details: Puppies from 34 Rescues Hit the Gridiron

Puppy Bowl puppies
Action on the field in Animal Planet’s 2016 Puppy Bowl.

Animal Planet’s always popular Puppy Bowl returns on Sunday, February 5, 2017 for more furry action on the football field. The three hour event will air simultaneously on both coasts beginning at 12pm PT/3pm ET and will feature puppies from 34 rescue organizations. 78 puppies will participate in the 2017 event as Team Ruff takes on Team Fluff during Puppy Bowl XIII, with the winning team receiving the first-ever Petco Lombarky trophy.

The 2017 Puppy Bowl will feature correspondent Rodt Weiler along with the world’s most famous groundhog – Punxsutawney Phil. Phil will handle the coin toss that kicks off this year’s much-anticipated Puppy Bowl and Dan Schachner will be return as the “rufferee.” Jill Rappaport will be hosting up close and personal segments on some of Puppy Bowl XIII‘s participants.


The 34 rescue organizations and animal shelters involved in the 2017 event include AHeinz57 (Iowa), Big Fluffy Dog Rescue (Tennessee), Citizens for Animal Protection (Texas), Last Hope K9 (Massachusetts), Miami-Dade County Animal Services (Florida), Mr. Bones & Company (New York), Nevada SPCA, Paw Works (California), and Stray Rescue (Missouri). Among the adoptable players featured in the 2017 Puppy Bowl will be three puppies with special needs. Doobert (deaf), Lucky (three-legged), and Winston (hearing and sight impaired) are the first puppies with disabilities to ever take part in the annual event.

Puppy Bowl viewers will be treated to a Kitty Half-Time Show, cheerleading rabbits and guinea pigs, Muffin the Chinchilla, Orlando the Screech Owl, and Meep the African Gray Parrot. Puppy Bowl fans can also expect plenty of shots from the water bowl and slow-motion playback cameras. Viewers will also be able to check out a puppy’s eye view of the gridiron action with the Puppy Bowl Virtual Reality.

Last year more than 9 million viewers tuned in to watch adoptable puppies attempt to score touchdowns. Details on this year’s adorable Puppy Bowl competitors can be found at AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowl.