Once again, the Super Bowl has come and gone leaving millions suffering “post bowl” depression. This year, something a little different was added.
While the Super Bowl brings millions of Americans in front of the TV, there’s another ratings juggernaut that each year airs at the same time as the big game, and each year draws in millions of viewers as well:
Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl.
What began as simply an alternative for TV watchers not interested in football, has grown into a full-fledged football-themed celebration of all things cute and cuddly.
But Puppy Bowl XIII is doing something different this year: the program is highlighting dogs with special needs by featuring three disabled dogs: Winston, a blind and deaf Australian shepherd; Lucky, a three-legged terrier mix; and Doobert, a deaf English pointer.
The animals featured in the Puppy Bowl are from shelters, and all are adoptable. With the show’s popularity, the three special needs dogs have already found homes, but they also serve as ambassadors for other disabled animals who might be overlooked by potential owners looking to adopt.
Puppy Bowl “referee” Dan Schachner noted that Lucky, the three legged dog, is notably more skittish than the other puppies, but just as lovable.
“Lucky has probably a little more fear and anxiety than the other dogs, so being in that group was daunting,” Schachner says. Once they put Ricky on the field with her, it “gave her a little more confidence, and she was able to run around with more pep in her step. We would’ve liked to have seen a little more action — maybe (for her to) score touchdowns or get involved in some plays — but just the fact that Lucky was on the field was a success.”
Whose idea was this? Kudos to the animal lover who thought to highlight animals with special needs! Hopefully, this is a new tradition helping these special puppies find loving homes .
February 6, 2017
deaf, hearing loss