{"id":38888,"date":"2026-02-07T22:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T18:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=38888"},"modified":"2026-02-07T21:19:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T17:19:38","slug":"puppy-bowl-xxii-senior-dog-halftime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/puppy-bowl-xxii-senior-dog-halftime\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppy Bowl XXII Welcomes Senior Dogs to First-Ever Halftime Show"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The 22nd annual Puppy Bowl will air Sunday, February 8, 2026, starting at 2 p.m. ET\/11 a.m. PT.<\/li>\n<li>For the first time, senior dogs will compete in a special halftime show, Team Oldies vs. Team Goldies.<\/li>\n<li>A record 150 adoptable dogs from 72 shelters across North America will participate.<\/li>\n<li>The event aims to promote animal adoption, especially for older canines.<\/li>\n<li>It will be broadcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, and streamed on HBO Max, Discovery+, among others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 22nd annual Puppy Bowl, the beloved pre-Super Bowl tradition, is set to kick off this Sunday, February 8, featuring a record 150 adoptable dogs from across North America. This year&#8217;s highly anticipated event will introduce a significant new element: a special halftime show dedicated to senior dogs, marking their first-ever appearance in the competition and aiming to boost adoptions for older canines.<\/p>\n<p>The Puppy Bowl XXII, airing ahead of Super Bowl LX, will showcase puppies from 72 shelters across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. Beyond the main event where Team Fluff and Team Ruff vie for the coveted Lombarky Trophy, the inclusion of senior dogs is a deliberate effort to highlight the challenges older pets face in finding forever homes.<\/p>\n<h2>Senior Dogs Take the Field in Puppy Bowl Halftime Show<\/h2>\n<p>For the first time in its 22-year history, the Puppy Bowl will feature senior dogs in an all-new Pro-Dog Halftime Showdown. These seasoned competitors will form two teams, Team Oldies and Team Goldies, bringing a different dynamic to the miniature football field. Dan Schachner, the long-standing \u201cPuppy Bowl\u201d referee, emphasized the importance of this addition, noting that senior dogs spend &#8216;three to four times longer in the shelter&#8217; compared to puppies.<\/p>\n<p>Victoria Schade, the show\u2019s lead dog trainer and wrangler, told the <em>Associated Press<\/em> that while puppies bring &#8216;unbridled puppyhood enthusiasm,&#8217; senior dogs &#8216;have got a playbook&#8217; and will &#8216;strategize a little harder.&#8217; Notable senior participants teased by Discovery include Willie the beagle, Moonie the chihuahua, Tiki the Shiba Inu, and Starlight the terrier, all vying for the spotlight and, ultimately, a loving home. This segment aims to open viewers&#8217; minds to the benefits of adopting older pets, who are often already house-trained and more mellow, making them ideal companions for many households.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Watch Puppy Bowl XXII: Broadcast and Streaming Details<\/h2>\n<p>Puppy Bowl XXII is scheduled to air on Sunday, February 8, 2026, starting at 2 p.m. ET\/11 a.m. PT. Viewers will have multiple options to catch the three-hour &#8216;sports spectacular,&#8217; which includes an hour-long pregame show, the Puppy Bowl XXII Kickoff Show, beginning at 1 p.m. ET\/10 a.m. PT. The event will be broadcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, and truTV.<\/p>\n<p>For streamers, the action will be available on Discovery+, HBO Max, Fubo, Philo, and DIRECTV. The show is also set to air on a loop throughout the day, allowing fans to re-watch their favorite moments. Warner Bros. confirmed that referee Dan Schachner returns for his 15th year, joined by sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks providing &#8216;paw-by-paw&#8217; commentary. Kitten cheer squads will observe the game from the Temptations Skybox, adding to the festive atmosphere.<\/p>\n<h2>A Mission of Adoption: Record Pups from Across North America<\/h2>\n<p>The core mission of the Puppy Bowl remains to promote animal adoption and raise awareness for shelters across America. This year&#8217;s event features a record 150 puppies from 72 shelters, underscoring the widespread effort to find homes for these animals. Among the competitors are four puppies from Iowa\u2019s AHeinz57 Pet Rescue &amp; Transport: Asiago, Atticus, Boopsie, and Dendelion, who will join either Team Ruff or Team Fluff.<\/p>\n<p>The pregame show will include a &#8216;Puppy Combine&#8217; where Schachner and Schade scout prospects for the Puppy Bowl Draft. Additionally, Subaru of America Inc. will present &#8216;Pup Close and Personal&#8217; segments, sharing inspiring backstories of some of the furry athletes. The event serves as a crucial platform for shelters, with interested adopters directed to puppybowl.com for more information on the featured pups.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the pre-event buzz, a segment on CNN featuring two Puppy Bowl puppies saw the playful canines urinating on set, a moment that quickly gained attention, further highlighting the unpredictable charm of the competitors.<\/p>\n<p><em>The introduction of senior dogs to the Puppy Bowl marks a significant evolution for the annual event, broadening its advocacy beyond puppies to address the often-overlooked needs of older shelter animals. By providing a national platform for these experienced canines, the Puppy Bowl not only enhances its entertainment value but also reinforces its commitment to promoting responsible pet adoption across all age groups, potentially shifting public perception and increasing adoption rates for a vulnerable demographic.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 22nd annual Puppy Bowl is set to air this Sunday, February 8, featuring a record 150 adoptable dogs and, for the first time, a special halftime show dedicated to senior canines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11059],"tags":[46137,46140,10168,46139,46136,46138,21691],"class_list":["post-38888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social","tag-animal-adoption","tag-animal-planet","tag-hbo-max","tag-pet-shelters","tag-puppy-bowl","tag-senior-dogs","tag-super-bowl-lx"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Puppy-Bowl-XXII-.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Puppy-Bowl-XXII-.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}