WASHINGTON — The Puppy Bowl is back again this Super Bowl Sunday, and it’s the fluffiest matchup you’ve ever seen.
The annual matchup between Team Ruff and Team Fluff for the “Lombarky” Trophy will feature 142 adorable dogs, according to Discovery, making it the largest ever.
Puppy Bowl XXI is the 21st anniversary of arguably the cutest pre-Super Bowl event. The “competition” each year has two teams of dogs from shelters and rescues around the world facing off in a football game. The event encourages viewers to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter or rescue rather than a breeder.
For 2025, the Puppy Bowl will have 11 special needs dogs, including a visually-impaired Chihuahua and Australian Cattle Dog mix named Hewett and a wheelchair-using pit bull terrier named Jolene.
For the first time, this year will introduce puppy practice drills, where 10 dogs will compete to be the top pick in the Puppy Bowl draft.
It will also feature a fan favorite mid-game event: The kitten halftime show.
Puppy Bowl 2025 lineup photos
Meet the adorable players competing in Puppy Bowl XXI
Who trains the dogs for the Puppy Bowl?
Victoria Schade is a dog trainer and novelist who’s the show’s lead puppy trainer and wrangler. She’s the one making sure the shelter pups have a conflict-free contest and that they’re captured at their most adorable — all from off-camera.
It is Schade who gets the puppies to look up during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” or run through a tunnel to get to the field for the starting lineups. She’s on the lookout for possible conflicts or nervous dogs.
“My responsibilities include ensuring puppy happiness and safety during gameplay,” she says. “So if there’s any moment where a puppy looks like they’re overwhelmed or they just need a break, I’ll step out and give them a little break on the sideline.”
Schade has been working with the doggies on the Animal Planet show for 19 years and is believed to be the longest serving member of the “Puppy Bowl” crew. She also works the kitten halftime show and calls filming both her favorite week of the year.
“I think she is one of the most dedicated, hardest working people out there in the business,” says “Puppy Bowl” referee Dan Schachner, now in his 14th year. “She doesn’t ever seem to run out of energy. She never says no to a request and there’s always brightness and sunshine from her with every step.”
How to watch the 2025 Puppy Bowl: TV channel, streaming options, what time does the Puppy Bowl start?
- Sunday, February 9, 2025
- The Puppy Bowl pre-game show with puppy player background and coach interviews starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Animal Planet
- Puppy Bowl XXI begins at 2 p.m. Eastern and will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+
