Animal Planet Presents Annual Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday

I'm not a huge Super Bowl fan, so browsing channels one Super Bowl Sunday a few years ago, I discovered an animal themed Super Bowl event on Animal Planet called the Puppy Bowl. This annual canine themed event is held every year to the delight of animal lovers everywhere. For a few hours during the Super Bowl, Animal Planet presents a bunch of adorable puppies frolicking as counterprogramming to the big football game.

This year will be Puppy Bowl VI, and this annual event is a huge hit, drawing in millions of viewers. If you've never seen it before and wondered what it's all about, Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday basically involves a group of puppies on a mock football field playing, and chewing, and interacting with each other. The action is captured Super Bowl style with playbacks of super adorable puppy moves, and there's even a halftime show involving cute kittens and a scratching post! For the first time, bunnies and hamsters will also be featured as part of Puppy Bowl.

Animal Planet offers DVDs of the Puppy Bowl, and I'm sure many will set their DVRs so they won't miss this event that has become a Super Bowl Sunday staple for animal lovers. All of the Puppy Bowl action has been monitored by the American Humane Association and the program has received its "no animals were harmed" disclaimer. Puppy Bowl is fun and I love the animals, but after a while it all gets to be a bit of cute overload.

If football is just not your thing, and you're not into the Puppy Bowl either, there are other options on Super Bowl Sunday. Check your local TV listings for counterprogramming ideas like the What Not to Wear marathon on The Learning Channel, the I Love Lucy marathon on The Hallmark Channel, or an evening of Law and Order on both USA Network and TNT, poker programs on the Game Show Network, or Man vs. Food on The Travel Channel. Bravo TV has a marathon of the Real Housewives of New York City, and ABC Family presents the four hour film The Sound of Music (just as challenging to sit through as long hours of football!)

If you do opt for the adorable Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet showcases puppies and kittens from shelters in the Puppy Bowl, and has information about animal adoption on its website. If you watch the Puppy Bowl and fall in love with a dog or cat, bunny or hamster, visit the Animal Planet official site for pet adoption resources for Puppy Bowl VI, and take a moment to read about all the shelters involved in this year's event.

Puppy Bowl VI is scheduled to kick off on Sunday February 7, 2010 from 3-5 p.m. on Animal Planet, and the network will repeat the program throughout the evening.

Sources:

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/pet-adoption/pet-adoption.html

http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/10-puppy-bowl.html