HOUSTON, Texas — The biggest sports day of the year is almost here, but the players are not the only ones who are going to have all the fun. So are the puppies!
For many animal lovers, the Puppy Bowl is just as exciting as the Super Bowl. And some of those furry faces you’ll see on the big screen actually came from our own backyard!
Ellington is a Houston pup that will be playing in the Puppy Bowl and although he has perky ears and cute puppy dog eyes, he didn't have the easiest start to life.
“We actually picked him up through a cruelty confiscation," said Cory Stottlemyer with BARC, the city of Houston's animal shelter.
He was brought into BARC last August and was soon picked up by Shaggy Dog Rescue, a non-profit that sends over 200 pups up north a year where animal adoptions are far less abundant.
“Our climate is pretty conducive for the stray population to last all year round. Which isn’t a situation that occurs up north," Stottlemyer said.
And now, Ellington’s found a new family and even a little fame as a Puppy Bowl player.
“He has an Instagram page as I understand it," said Ann Brookes, a Puppy Bowl liaison with Shaggy Dog Rescue.
It’s the big canine competition - Ruff vs. Fluff.
Shaggy Dog Rescue volunteer Ann Brookes has brought Space City’s finest to the field for years now.
The Houston lineup this year also includes Kirby and sisters Raspberry and Dewberry.
“Raspberry was actually adopted by a volunteer from Animal Planet at the Puppy Bowl set," Brookes said.
All will be players in the big game, except Dewberry. She’ll be a cheerleader. She and Raspberry were found last year abandoned in a Houston park.
“These Good Samaritans hand-carried the dogs a mile and a half to their car and then brought them to the rescue," Brookes said.
From being left in a park to being loved on the big screen, it’s a life these pups never dreamed of but always deserved.
“When you see these dogs thriving on the field at Puppy Bowl, it’s the happily ever after right?” Brookes said.
There are so many animals in Houston that need a forever home. If you think you might want to welcome a dog or a cat into your family, BARC has pets up for adoption.