Puppy Bowl is going to the dogs. Quite literally.
Puppy Bowl XXII will feature senior dogs for the first time ever, Discovery announced on Thursday. But don’t freak cuteness fans — the main act is still the baby pups.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, the three-hour annual adoption television event will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and Discovery+. This year, there will be 150 pooches from 72 shelters across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands — the long-running telecast’s most-ever dogs from its most-ever shelters. Fifteen of the adorable competitors are “special needs dogs,” per Discovery, including Wynonna, who plays on three legs, and Eleanor, who is both deaf and vision-impaired.
The senior game will be a halftime contest between Team Oldies and Team Goldies. Dogs are generally considered to be “senior” by about eight or nine years old, though it varies by breed. However, the seniors in this game were generally six to 11 years old. Don’t worry about their full-grown hearts and lungs giving out on live TV — these days, the Puppy Bowl is shot annually in September in upstate New York. I’m sure everything went fine, probably.
As always, the kittens will be hissing from a luxury suite a safe distance away from the action.
Dan Schachner returns for his 15th year to referee. (Read: to clean up the dog shit.) Victoria Schade has the world’s most adorable job: lead puppy trainer for the Puppy Bowl.
A few other humans will participate, like the play-by-play and color commentary team of sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks. Social media influencer Isabel Klee (aka SimonSits) and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir will also be part of the TV presentation, as will Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers founder Todd Graves. Why him? Because he’s probably not especially welcome at the Chicken Bowl.
“Puppy Bowl XXII celebrates the spirit of the underdog with a gameday celebration that combines the excitement of a sports matchup with uplifting adoption stories,” Joseph Boyle, Discovery Channel’s head of content, said in a statement. “By introducing new segments like our senior spotlight and enhancing fan-favorite elements, we are creating a deeper connection to our audience and delivering the most entertaining sports spectacular on television.”
Puppy Bowl XXII is produced for Animal Planet by Bright Spot Content, an All3Media America company.
