One of our family's favorite things about Super Bowl Sunday is watching the Puppy Bowl.  I remember when they first started doing these way back in 2005 and I've loved them ever since. Yes, the commentary, cringe-worthy football puns (unnecessary ruffness) and canned stadium crowd noise is kind of cheesy.  And it's obvious there is no actual game play... just little dogs goofing around in a 19x10 foot plexiglass "stadium" that may or may not eventually get the football into the end zone. Somehow the formula just works.

Did you know that it takes over 50 hours of filming just to get the 120 minutes of Puppy Bowl programming you see on TV?  If you've ever tried to coordinate frisky little dogs who may not listen very well, this is understandable. And of course, there are certain weight, size and age restrictions. You wouldn't want a Mastiff competing with those little ankle-biter breeds, would ya?  All of the dogs in the Puppy Bowl come from animal shelters and are usually already adopted by the time we see the show on Sunday (it's recorded in October each year).

Other fun facts:

  • They've used up to 80 oz of peanut butter, placed on the cameras during taping, to get the shots of the puppies licking the camera.
  • Around 60 personnel are involved in the production, including reps from the Humane Society, on-site vet's, camera crews, etc.
  • "Cheerleaders" have included guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens
  • A cockatiel named Meep has tweeted highlights of the game from the sidelines the past few years and will probably be back this year.

Have a Super weekend and stay warm next week!

Next time,

Michael

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