STATE COLLEGE — Though it may be less than two months into the year, Sunday, Feb. 9, holds one of the most important sporting events of the year, and it’s not the Super Bowl.
Designed to mimic the professional football game, the Puppy Bowl, as its name suggests, features furry friends on the field instead of professional athletes.
This year, the three hour long television event will host 142 rescue puppies from 80 shelters across 40 states and two countries.
“Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl serves as an annual pop culture programming event that continues to expand in reach, awareness and of course, puppies, every year,” Howard Lee, chief creative officer of U.S. Networks and president of Discovery Networks, shared in a statement.
“Win or lose, Puppy Bowl XXI will have the cutest players in the game on Sunday, Feb. 9, and will inspire families across the country to adopt a new furry friend.”
Of the 142 puppies in the 2025 rendition of the Puppy Bowl, 12 will be from Pennsylvania.
Headlining these puppies is Saquon Barky out of Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania. Somehow, Barky did not make the starting lineup, but he will be representing Team Ruff. And if he takes after the human he is named after, he is sure to leap, flip and run with ease on the field.
Barky’s friend, Doodle, also comes out of Providence Animal Center but will be with Team Fluff.
From Pittsburgh, Centaur, Sully, Franco and Mercury will be representing the Steel City. Both Paws Across Pittsburgh and Animal Friends are represented.
Moving east, Aurelia joins Team Fluff from the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area and Winston and Paralee represent Chester Springs and Phoenix Animal Rescue.
The final group of puppies from Pennsylvania comes from Brandywine Valley SPCA in Westchester. Erika, Mindy and Sadie will take on the gridiron on Sunday. Mindy is actually special needs with her vision impaired.
If you want to watch Saquon Barky and the rest of the puppies get after it, tune into Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and Discovery+ on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m.
