6 Delaware Valley pups to be featured in Puppy Bowl 2021

Television’s cutest sports competition — and original call-to-adoption TV event — is almost upon us.

On Sunday, Feb. 7, Puppy Bowl returns for its 17th iteration.

Before the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, Team Ruff and Team Fluff will go paw-to-paw in their bid for the Chewy “Lombarky” trophy.

Team Ruff, which lost last year’s matchup, is looking to reclaim its title.

Featuring 22 shelters and rescue organizations from across the northeast, the event boasts 70 adoptable puppy players.

Six of those players hail from Pennsylvania and New Jersey animal rescue organizations, including Providence Animal Center in Delaware County, Match Dog Rescue in Burlington County, and The Center for Animal Health & Welfare in Northampton County.

Who’s playing

Here’s a look at the Delaware Valley pups who will be competing in this weekend’s showdown:

Pacific | Team Fluff
Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher
Match Dog Rescue

Muffin | Team Ruff
Terrier Mix
Match Dog Rescue

Eclipse | Team Ruff
Siberian Husky/Shar-Pei
Match Dog Rescue

Ray | Team Fluff
American Staffordshire Terrier/Chow Chow
The Center for Animal Health & Welfare

Patrick | Team Ruff
American Staffordshire Terrier
The Center for Animal Health & Welfare

Hope | Team Ruff
Beagle/American Fox Hound
Providence Animal Center

What happens at a Puppy Bowl?

Puppy Bowl is not for the Type A among us. It is chaos embodied — full of flailing pups who care not for game-day rules or any sense of order.

What it lacks in NFL-level precision it makes up for with a simple mission: celebrating shelter pets and the animal welfare organizations that help them find loving homes.

“We need puppies now more than ever,” organizers said of the event.

That’s a good enough reason for us.

Puppy Bowl XVII will be hosted by duo Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.

Returning for his 10th year as Puppy Bowl Rufferee is Dan Schachner. Organizers say Schachner is ready to call puppy penalties and ruffs and tumbles.

Fan favorites from the program — including slow-motion replays, nose-to-nose action from the water-bowl cam, and puppy play-by-play analysis — are expected to return.

Cat lovers, fear not. Midway through the game is Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal’s Kitty Half-Time Show, featuring senior rescue cat DJ Grand Master Scratch.

The game will also feature segments that showcase pups — and some kittens — from 11 animal shelters from across the U.S. who are up for adoption.

The program hopes to continue its 16-year streak of a 100% adoption rate. All puppies and kittens featured in the Puppy Bowl to date have found forever homes.

The three-hour program, which will air on Animal Planet and stream on discovery+, kicks off at 2 p.m.