Tune in
Puppy Bowl XIII starts at 3 p.m. today on Animal Planet.
Caleb and Corey Hall are throwing a bowl party this afternoon at their Hixson home, but it's not the Falcons vs. Patriots matchup they'll be cheering. They don't have a dog in that hunt.
They've invited friends and their dogs over for some tail-gating before Puppy Bowl XIII because their rescue pet, Stormy, is on the starting lineup for Team Ruff.
The Puppy Bowl is Animal Planet's mock football game held annually on Super Bowl Sunday. The starting lineups for both teams are rescue pups from shelters across the country. Five rescue pups from three Tennessee shelters are included in today's Puppy Bowl.
The game is pre-taped over three days in a model stadium, several months ahead of the Super Bowl. The canine game is a cuddly cuteness overload complete with "ruff-eree" Dan Schachner calling puppy penalties. Pups on Team Ruff and Team Fluff are identified by the color of the bandanas worn around their necks. With any luck, Stormy might even be named the game's MVP (Most Valuable Pup), which is voted on by viewers.
While the sports spoof is fun, it also scores a serious point: the need for dog lovers to adopt pets from shelters.
Stormy, a mix of pit bull, Shar Pei and mastiff, is representing Big Fluffy Dog Rescue in Nashville, an organization that helps place large-breed working dogs. Shelter Director Jean Harrison says pups from Big Fluffy also were chosen for the Puppy Bowl in 2014. Participating shelters receive no compensation of any sort, she says. The goal is just to help adoptable dogs find homes.
"Stormy was born in a shelter in Mountain City, Tenn., because his mother was dumped at that shelter extremely pregnant. We took his mom and all his siblings when they were only two days old," says Harrison.
She says that, because her nonprofit has worked previously with Animal Planet, she was contacted again last year for potential players.
"The entire process is incredibly complex. Getting the timing right is hard because puppies have to be in rescue at the right age and have the exact number of vaccinations and vet visits before filming," she explains.
When Puppy Bowl XIII was taped, Stormy was a 13-week-old pup romping around the field. Now he's a 40-pound pet "resembling a small boxer" who scarfs down 2 1/2 cups of food a day, Caleb Hall describes.
"He's adjusted very well to his new home. He still has a lot of puppy energy and plays well with our resident dog, Pebbles. We try to keep him very active by hiking around the Chattanooga area and going for long walks during the week."
The Halls have fostered two dogs from Big Fluffy since last April. After deciding to adopt Stormy, the couple had to wait until Puppy Bowl had taped last October before they could welcome him home.
Along with his buff-and-white coat, Stormy has startling ice-blue eyes, "the initial draw" when they first saw him on Instagram, Caleb Hall says.
"We had no idea he was going to be famous when we adopted him. We originally thought about changing his name, but the name seemed to suit his personality."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6284.