Watch Puppy Bowl Animal Planet
Photo: Animal Planet
This Sunday, February 4th, you can escape the high-intensity Superbowl frenzy by watching adorable puppies play football instead.

Animal Planet is aiming to give relief to people who don’t love football by providing them access on Superbowl Sunday to something almost everyone loves – baby dogs playing in the oh-so-adorable Puppy Bowl.

Two teams (hilariously dubbed Team Ruff and Team Fluff) of adoptable puppies get positioned and prepared to “play football” against one another in a setting modeled after a football stadium. Their adorable actions come complete with hilarious commentary, broadcast crew, a “rufferee,” and a sideline “repawter.” Can this get any better?!

Yes, yes it can. Because these puppies are all rescue puppies in need of homes! This year’s precious pups have been rescued from areas hit by natural disasters, such as Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico.

Puppy contributors for the teams include approximately 48 shelters and rescues from 25 states and U.S. territories.

RELATED: 30 Dedicated Animal Shelters That Make America Proud

Is your heart bursting yet?

Here are all the details on this amazing event.

  • When: The same time as the Superbowl – Sunday, February 4th, at 3 p.m. Eastern.
  • Where: Tune into Animal Planet.
  • Teams: This year’s Superbowl will see the Eagles and Patriots battle it out. So the Puppybowl will see the “B-eagles” take on the “Pup-triots!”

If you can’t even wait until 3 p.m. that day (and who can blame you?), Animal Planet is generously opting to kick things off at 8 a.m. with pregame shows. These will feature panels of experts who will explain what makes puppies so incredible.

If you have other obligations during the live game, Animal Planet is re-airing the event at 6 p.m. EST that night.

Interacting With the Puppies

In years past, viewers had to take the bad with the good – while they could watch adorable puppies play, they couldn’t interact with them.

Well, this year, technology is helping Animal Planet change that around and make the world whole again.

They’ve decided to incorporate virtual reality into the mix for the 2018 Puppybowl. Viewers who have access to Samsung VR, Discovery VR iOS, Android apps and the Animal Planet YouTube channel can watch the game happen through the puppies’ point of view, and see the Puppy Bowl Training Camp in 360-video. Wow!

As if this couldn’t get any better, Animal Planet is pulling out all the stops. This year, for the first time ever, adult dogs in need of homes will also be featured in a February 3rd (8 p.m.) airing of adult canine football called the Dog Bowl!

Hilariously, Animal Planet has taken to their Twitter account with prediction videos, featuring puppies who choose the Superbowl winners based on which labelled bowl of food they finish eating first.

Keeping Up With Tradition

Keeping pace with the tradition of playing the Star Bangled Banner at the Superbowl, this year’s Puppybowl will feature a piano-playing chicken names Jokgu, who will chime out the National Anthem for delighted viewers.

The cheerleaders will be baby barnyard animals (oh.my.GOODNESS) and as if this all wasn’t enough to make your heart just burst – a rescued sloth will be the referee.

Please, if you value your time and happiness, be sure to watch this year’s Puppybowl!

Catch a sneak peak below!

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SOURCESporting News
Cody Griffin
Cody has worked and volunteered with rescue animals her entire life. She worked as a veterinary assistant and technician in shelters, rescues, boarding facilities, doggy daycares and animal hospitals in New York and Chicago throughout her teens and twenties, and now resides as a pet foster mom in Upstate New York.