Two Pups From Bethel Shelter To Compete In Puppy Bowl On Animal Planet

BETHEL, CT — Puppy Bowl XIX will air this Sunday, and once again The Danbury Animal Welfare Society in Bethel has fur in the game.

Two puppies rescued by DAWS have made the starting lineups of teams Ruff and Fluff, and will compete on a program recorded last October.

Dakota, playing for Team Ruff, is a German shepherd/American pit bull terrier. She was 18 weeks old when the event was taped, and has since been adopted out to a family in Walkill, NY.

Stardust, at 16 weeks and battling beneath the banner of Team Fluff, is a poodle/Australian shepherd who had to have one of her eyes surgically removed shortly after she was born. The injury didn't prevent her from being adopted into a Bethel home.

It's the adopting out bit that's key. DAWS is in its 49th year rescuing and finding homes for dogs and cats, and the puppy program alone has had almost 200 adoptions just in 2022. But Alice Meenan, the rescue's director of Development and Marketing, told Patch that's not enough.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing an uptick in surrenders that really began last year in 2022," Meenan said. Lately, DAWS has been fielding rescue requests "almost daily."

The culprits are time, and money. Many proud new pet owners have found themselves at home less, or with a lighter paycheck, as the COVID-19 pandemic has eased.

DAWS adopted out over a thousand pets in 2020, but now "sadly, we can't keep up with the amount of surrender requests," Meenan said.

The stray overpopulation problem is even worse among DAWS' partners in the South.

"So this event is very timely in that it's bringing awareness of the many animals across the country that are loving and in need of a home," Meenan said.

The growing rescue operates a veterinary clinic, which has also seen an uptick in requests. Meenan said DAWS offers the low-cost medical services in the hopes that down-on-their-luck pet owners won't have to surrender their best friends in the face of unmanageable vet bills.

This is DAWS' fifth Puppy Bowl, and there's been an uptick in adoptions each year following the event's broadcast. Hopes are high that Puppy Bowl XIX will generate the most adoptions yet, and Animal Planet has done its part by amping up the program's star power. Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart will be on hand in their capacity as coaches for Team Fluff and Team Ruff, respectively. All told, 122 puppies from 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states — including four more from Connecticut — will be competing for the "Lombarky Trophy."

Puppy Bowl XIX airs Sunday, at 2 p.m., with a pre-game show at 1 p.m., on discovery+ and Animal Planet. "Pup Close and Personal" segments that share the backstories of the athletes will return this year, according to the network.