Team Fluff wins 18th Puppy Bowl over Team Ruff 69-66
(CNN) — Team Fluff won the 18th Puppy Bowl on Sunday against Team Ruff by a slim margin with a final score of 69-66 after a face-off that lasted three hours.
Puppy Bowl XVIII kicked off on Sunday morning with a feature of “From Puppy Bowl with Love,” which revisited adorable moments from past bowls. Lifestyle icon Martha Stewart coached last year’s champions, Team Ruff, while hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg coached Team Fluff.
The celebrities hosted the televised event while donning their team’s jerseys alongside their own puppy companions.
Other special guests on the televised event included Sesame Street’s Elmo and his dog, Tango and First Lady Jill Biden and new First Family puppy, Commander.
This year’s bowl featured more than 100 adoptable puppy players from 67 shelters and rescues from 33 states, according to Discovery.
Kirby, a Labrador retriever and service dog in-training, was named Team Fluff’s “Most Valuable Player” after he helped his team win the Lombarky Trophy.
The call-to-adoption event once again featured stories of shelters and rescues doing good and lots and lots of puppies up for adoption.
The event, which was televised on Animal Planet and streamed on Discovery+, featured nine special needs dogs during the game, including Benny, a wheelchair-bound Labradoodle; Moby, a French Bulldog with a cleft palate; and Rocket, a deaf Chihuahua/Dachshund.
More information on the organizations and pups featured can be found on the Animal Planet website.
News release: IndyHumane’s pup Gumdrop featured on Puppy Bowl
“INDIANAPOLIS – Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl is known for puppies playing football, along with the program’s larger aim to promote pet adoption at local shelters and rescues. The game is filmed in the fall, which means by the time Puppy Bowl airs, its adorable players have already found forever homes. IndyHumane was asked to be one of 14 organizations to feature a current adoptable pet in exclusive segments aired throughout the program. These 11 puppies and 3 kittens are available for adoption following the Puppy Bowl.
“Gumdrop, a ten-week-old shepherd-husky mix puppy, is IndyHumane’s adoptable pup. Gumdrop’s playful personality was captured in videos and photos encouraging those looking to adopt to visit IndyHumane. ‘We appreciate the national attention provided by Puppy Bowl,’ said David Horth, IndyHumane CEO. ‘It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of all the wonderful adoptable animals available from puppies like Gumdrop to older dogs and cats all looking for forever homes.’
“Since IndyHumane’s Adoption Center is closed on Mondays, Gumdrop and her eight brothers and sisters will be available for adoption at IndyHumane on Tuesday, February 15. Gumdrop and her siblings have been cared for by IndyHumane foster families since they arrived at the humane society as newborns shortly before Christmas. Gumdrop’s siblings are just as sweet as she is, and they all have fun candy names including Pop Rocks, Milk Dud, Taffy, and Nerds.
“You can find IndyHumane’s Adoption Center Hours, see more of Gumdrop and her siblings, and learn about ways to give and get involved at IndyHumane.org.”
IndyHumane news release issued Feb. 13, 2022, via Jenna Slesinski