January 30, 2023
Jeremy Freeman/Animal Planet
Tailen Hurts, center, leads the pack of Philly-area rescue dogs competing in Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl.
As the Eagles and Chiefs head to Super Bowl LVII, a set of equally elite athletes is preparing for a showdown that Sunday.
The Puppy Bowl returns to Animal Planet for its 19th season at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, and this year's lineup includes many rescue dogs from the greater Philadelphia region. There's Pierogi, a 35-pound lab mix from the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Easton, who's sure to deliver devastating tackles, and Amanda, a slight pit-chow chow from Philly's own Wet Nose Rescue with energy to burn.
Representing Bucks County is Ritz, a shaggy Aussie-poodle from Harley's Haven Dog Rescue. (Yes, he's named after the cracker, but no, he will not crumble.) Gordon and Chaos, meanwhile, hail from Delaware County's Providence Animal Center. They're both chihuahua mixes, meaning they're small, scrappy fighters with something to prove.
But perhaps the player to beat is Tailen Hurts, a pit-Staffordshire pup from Brandywine Valley SPCA. Tailen is known to family and friends as River, but he's eager to take on the mantle of the Eagles' star quarterback. According to the shelter, he arrived from a cruelty/neglect seizure but "all of that is behind him now" and he has since been adopted. He is joined by three other players from Brandywine Valley SPCA, a true breeding ground for canine talent.
Check out the puppies' stats below, with info provided from Animal Planet and the social media channels of their hometown shelters. You can watch them in action on Super Bowl Sunday, before the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
Weight: 16.2 pounds
Age: 13 weeks
Breed: American Staffordshire terrier/American pit bull terrier
Shelter: Brandywine Valley SPCA
Team: Fluff
Known Aliases: River
Weight: 17 pounds
Age: 18 weeks
Breed: Chihuahua/American pit bull terrier
Shelter: Providence Animal Shelter
Team: Fluff
Weight: 20 pounds
Age: 13 weeks
Breed: American pit bull terrier/American Staffordshire terrier
Shelter: Brandywine Valley SPCA
Team: Ruff
Known Aliases: Panda
Weight: 12 pounds
Age: 18 weeks
Breed: American pit bull terrier/Chow chow
Shelter: Wet Nose Rescue
Team: Fluff
Known Aliases: Honey
Weight: 16 pounds
Age: 18 weeks
Breed: American pit bull terrier/American Staffordshire terrier
Shelter: Brandywine Valley SPCA
Team: Ruff
Known Aliases: Behr
Weight: 5 pounds
Age: 14 weeks
Breed: Yorkshire terrier/Chihuahua
Shelter: Providence Animal Shelter
Team: Ruff
Weight: 18 pounds
Age: 18 weeks
Breed: German shepherd/Dalmatian
Shelter: Brandywine Valley SPCA
Team: Ruff
Special skills: House and crate trained
Weight: 20 pounds
Age: 13 weeks
Breed: Australian shepherd/Poodle
Shelter: Harley's Haven Dog Rescue
Team: Ruff
Family: Four brothers and sisters, all named after snack foods
Weight: 35.5 pounds
Age: 16 weeks
Breed: Labrador retriever/Australian cattle dog
Shelter: Center for Animal Health and Welfare
Team: Fluff
Special skills: Modeling
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