Meet the Philly and N.J. pups competing in Sunday’s Puppy Bowl 2021

Rough times call for adorable puppies. This Sunday, the Puppy Bowl returns for its 17th year, bringing a way to take your mind off the pandemic — and pregame the Super Bowl — with a four-legged game of “football.” Kicking off at 2 p.m. on discovery+ and Animal Planet, the three-hour event features 70 playful pooches from across the Northeast. And six are from the Philadelphia area.

Here’s how it works: Pups, all under 21 weeks old, are split between “Team Ruff” and “Team Fluff,” each vying for the most touchdowns. Any time a puppy drags one of the multiple on-field chew toys across either end zone line, points are added to the scoreboard.

Making sure the puppies play nice is referee Dan Schachner, who also calls the penalties, like “premature watering of the field” and “unnecessary ruffness.” Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are this year’s cohosts, giving play-by-plays throughout the game and cooking up snacks as they do in their Emmy-nominated series Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.

There are kittens, too, who run the halftime show and also oversee the game from the skybox, where a fish tank adds to their entertainment. And then there are the puppy cheerleaders, howling for their favorite players from the sidelines.

» READ MORE: How to foster a cat or dog during the pandemic

It’s an event that’s obviously designed to be playful, but there’s a bigger message, too. All 70 of the pups come from shelters and rescue centers. Because Puppy Bowl filming takes place in October, most of the dogs you’ll see on screen have already been adopted. But all participating shelters emphasize there’s no shortage of other pups looking for a home.

“There’s a big misconception that if you want a puppy, you have to go to a breeder or puppy mill, but we always want people to think adoption first,” says Justina Calgiano, director of advancement and public relations at Providence Animal Center, a Media-based rescue center with one competitor in Puppy Bowl XVII. “Between three and four million animals die in shelters every year, and choosing the option to adopt is important to being part of the solution.”

You can head to AnimalPlanet.com during the game to check out all participating rescue and shelter organizations. Three are from the Philadelphia area, and we asked each about how you can adopt, along with details about the cute and cuddly players they have competing this year. Read on to meet the pups.

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Stats: Siberian husky mix, 6 months old (at time of filming), competing for Team Ruff

Her story: Eclipse is from a litter of five. Her mom was rescued in Texas from a high-kill shelter, where animals that aren’t adopted within a given amount of time are euthanized. Eclipse, as well as her mom and siblings, have all been adopted, and Eclipse loves playing with her new dog siblings. She easily tugs hearts with her big, brown puppy eyes, one of which is dual-colored — half brown, half blue. Like many dogs, she loves bones and affection, and will reach with her paws for both. Just don’t stick her in a car. The six-hour drive to the Puppy Bowl in Glens Falls, N.Y., incited lots of puppy sobs.

Adopt: Match Dog Rescue is a foster-based rescue that operates out of PetSmart Marlton in Burlington County. To find pets up for adoption, visit matchdogrescue.org/adopt.

Stats: Terrier mix, 4 months old (at time of filming), competing for Team Ruff

Her story: Muffin is a survivor of parvo, a highly contagious virus that causes gastrointestinal illness and is deadly if not treated in time. “She’s a true fighter, found on the streets of Texas,” says Match Dog Rescue volunteer Nina Marcos. “She’s super feisty, really spunky, and she loves, loves, loves to play.” Naturally, Muffin’s playful spirit led her to become a champion on the football field. You’ll catch her scoring plenty of Puppy Bowl touchdowns.

Adopt: Match Dog Rescue is a foster-based rescue that operates out of PetSmart Marlton in Burlington County. To find pets up for adoption, visit matchdogrescue.org/adopt.

Stats: Chihuahua mix, 6 months old (at time of filming), competing for Team Fluff

Her story: Rescued from a rural town in Texas, Pacific was so tiny when found that she required continuous monitoring while being nursed back to health. In the months since, she has grown into “a very proper little lady,” says Marcos. And she loves a good petting session. If you want to catch a glimpse of her in the Puppy Bowl, you’ll have to closely follow along. “She was far more interested in finding a nice, warm lap on the sidelines than scoring touchdowns,” says Marcos.

Adopt: Match Dog Rescue is a foster-based rescue that operates out of PetSmart Marlton in Burlington County. To find pets up for adoption, visit matchdogrescue.org/adopt.

Stats: American Staffordshire terrier mix, 3 months old (at time of filming), competing for Team Ruff (Patrick) and Team Fluff (Ray)

Their story: Just two days after their mom was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Tennessee, these two brothers were born in Northampton County. With their floppy ears and big white paws, it didn’t take long until adopters snatched them up, sending them off in different directions. Then came Puppy Bowl, a chance to reunite. The brothers’ nonstop wrestling matches quickly resumed, and together, they brought a ton of energy to the Puppy Bowl playing field. “They were running around like maniacs and were moving so fast that the cameramen couldn’t get shots of them,” says Kelly Bauer, executive director of Center for Animal Health and Welfare. “They definitely had a case of the zoomies, but they did great with the other dogs.”

Adopt: Center for Animal Health and Welfare is a nonprofit shelter based out of Easton, Northampton County. To find pets up for adoption, visit healthyanimalcenter.org/adopt.

Stats: Beagle, American foxhound, chow chow, and golden retriever, 4 months old (at time of filming), competing for Team Ruff

Her story: Hope came as a surprise to Providence Animal Center, born overnight after her senior mom, Granny, made the long journey from an overcrowded shelter in Kentucky. “We come in one morning, and we were honestly wondering how these puppies got into [Granny’s] kennel. There were no cues that she was pregnant, in addition to the fact that she was aged between 10 and 12 years old,” says the center’s Calgiano. Hope was quickly adopted, now in good company of a golden retriever, which she follows around as if she were his little shadow. Hope loves most dogs, which surprisingly worked to her detriment against becoming a Puppy Bowl MVP. “She had zero interest in taking the toys and making a touchdown,” says Calgiano. “She just wanted to be around the other dogs.”

Adopt: Providence Animal Center is a Media-based rescue, medical care, treatment, and adoption center. To find pets up for adoption, visit providenceac.org/adopt

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