Puppy Bowl 2022: Ohio Dog Featured On Animal Planet

OHIO — Whether you’re a football fan or not, one thing we can all agree to watch ahead of the Super Bowl is the showdown of adorable proportions between Team Ruff and Team Fluff in Animal Planet’s annual Puppy Bowl.

And this year, an adoptable pooch from Ohio will be strutting their stuff on the field, treating us to all the ear pulls, tail tugs and sloppy kisses we can handle.

Now in its 18th year, Puppy Bowl features adoptable pets from rescue shelters across the United States. This year’s three-hour event is scheduled to air Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. ET, just a few hours before Super Bowl LVI.

In all, more than 100 puppy players will participate, representing 67 shelters and animal rescue groups from 33 states.

Aside from the obvious appeal of watching fluffy, huggable puppies tumble over one another as they chase a ball and try to score a touchdown, residents of Ohio have extra incentive to watch this year.

Odell Barkham, aka Bowser, will participate in the Puppy Bowl. He's from the Animal Friends Humane Society near Cincinnati — the only open-admission shelter in Butler County. The shelter had a 94 percent save rate in 2020 and assists more than 5,000 pets annually.

For anyone who lives near the shelter, or is willing to drive, the Animal Friends Humane Society is hosting a "pawtographs" event with Odell Barkham on Feb. 5. Attendees can meet the pup and get his pawtograph during the session.

The Puppy Bowl XVIII Pre-Game Show begins at 1 p.m. ET where fan-favorite sportscasters Rodt Weiler, Sheena Inu, and James Hound, as well as field reporters Mini Pinscher and Greta Dane, will provide the inside scoop on this year’s Puppy Bowl draft.

So far, the Puppy Bowl is 17-0 when it comes to adoption rates. Since its inception, 100 percent of all puppy players have found their forever homes, according to a news release from Animal Planet.

Here’s a look at some beloved traditions returning to year’s Puppy Bowl:

• Put your paws together midway through the game for the Kitty Half-Time Show as adoptable kittens dance their way through a purr-fect beach party.

• Fans can expect a return of favorite elements including slow-motion replays, nose-to-nose action from the famous Water Bowl Cam, and aerial shots of the field.

• Joining the game for the 11th year is “Rufferee” Dan Schachner, who is ready to call the puppy penalties and touchdowns.

• Puppy Bowl players will again be cheered on from the sidelines by adoptable puppy cheerleaders.

To learn more about the puppy players, their shelters, and other ways to help, visit Puppybowl.com/Adopt during the Puppy Bowl.