Are you ready for some puppies?
Holly Triebwasser
News Editor
The most anticipated sporting event of the year, the ninth annual Puppy Bowl, showcased on Animal Planet on Feb. 3, featured commentary from the stars of Pit Boss, Pit Bulls and Parolees, Finding Bigfoot, and My Cat From Hell during an afternoon of pure puppy mayhem.
PBIX began amidst the wild chants of “PUPPY! PUPPY! PUPPY!” featuring a pre-game show by hedgehog cheerleaders who strutted their stuff in bright pink tutus until the crowd was in a frenzy.
Finally, the starting line-up took to the field. The first player was 12-week-old dachshund mix Harry, followed by Sally, a 12-week-old dachshund/basset mix. Coming onto the field after them, Fitz, a catahoula mix — a pup notorious for biting the tails of other puppies.
After a rambunctious game opener, the first touchdown of the game was scored by Sally, the dachshund/basset mix. Sally sped past two Japanese chins, brother/sister team Simba and Nala, to score the goal. Aurora, a 10-week-old retriever/Siberian husky mix scored another touchdown soon after, stealing the ball from two frisky pups to make the frantic dash to the end zone.
After an energetic first half of the game, while the puppies took a break, fans got to watch the Kitty Halftime show, which featured a number of fuzzy pussies in all shapes and sizes, pawing, batting and lapping their way into the hearts of all the cheering fans.
Their performance featured a glitter backdrop, an impressive light show, and a colorful stage filled with toys. Clawing to the sound of some sexy beats, fans screamed for “KITTIES! KITTIES! KITTIES!”
The second half of the game saw more touchdowns by Tuck and Eli, both German Shepherd/pitbull mixes, and Butterscotch, a Puerto Rican sato, yipping, snapping and pouncing their way to the something-yard-line while the hedgehog cheerleaders celebrated their victory with a dance.
Early favorites for PBIX’s most valuable puppy award were Sally, who commentators admired for her spirited dash from Harry to the end zone. Aurora, Eli and Tuck were other favorites.
Ultimately, this year’s award went to schnauzer/beagle mix Marta, the little pooch who was able to out-run other players twice her size.