How 20 Years of Puppy Bowl Has Changed Pet Adoption: ‘People Understand More Because of Puppy Bowl’

Puppy Bowl turns 20 in 2024.

Puppy Bowl XX on February 11th marks two decades since adorable dogs have taken to the field to play their own version of football and raise awareness for pet adoption.

Hundreds of event dogs found homes thanks to the exposure they received through the Puppy Bowl, and the event also helped countless pets and people who never made it to the big game.

In 2008, Amy Heinz started AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport after finding a dog dumped on an interstate ramp near her new home in the small town of Adel, Iowa.

“I decided to start a rescue because there was nothing for strays in this area. They just shot them. I said, ‘That can’t happen where I live,'” she explains.

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The project started in Heinz’s garage as a “small little rescue,” but then the Puppy Bowl called and things began to change.

“In our third year, I get a call and a guy says, ‘Hi, I’m a producer from Animal Planet. We saw one of your puppies on PetFinder and we’d like to have him in our Puppy Bowl. ‘ And I laughed, and I said , ‘Ha-ha, who is this?'” Heinz tells PEOPLE, adding, “I had no idea what the Puppy Bowl was. I didn’t have time to watch TV.”

Behind the scenes of Puppt Bowl IX with referee Dan Schachner.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post via Getty

Heinz eventually agreed to participate in the 2013 Puppy Bowl and sent three puppies to represent the rescue. One of the dogs, Marta, won the MVP award of the game.

“Because of that, we got all kinds of media attention and we went from this small rescue that very few people knew about to suddenly this big thing,” shares Heinz.

“Adoptions went up. Volunteers started pouring in. Everyone wanted to be a part of it, which was fantastic,” she adds.

Puppy Bowl attention and Martin’s big win helped AHeinz57 move from Heinz’s garage to a bigger facility.

“It’s been a whirlwind since we got on the show. We went from my garage and moved into this abandoned vet clinic, and now we have a whole campus. We’re pretty big. We’re very well known in Iowa as one of the biggest rescues here,” Heinz says.

The shelter director notes that the impact of the Puppy Bowl has had an impact on individual rescues like hers and pet adoption as a whole.

Puppies play during the 2018 Puppy Bowl.

Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

“I think people understand more because of the Puppy Bowl. Now they know you can find purebred puppies in rescue. People weren’t aware of that before,” she says.

Tori Canteni, vice president and adoption coordinator for Pack Leaders Rescue in Connecticut, feels similarly.

“Puppy Bowl came in and everyone started realizing, ‘Oh, there are so many rescue dogs,'” she says.

Pack Leaders Rescue has participated in the Puppy Bowl for six years and has seen adoptions increase from 100 pets to more than 2,000 animals annually.

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The Puppy Bowl also helped the rescue connect with shelters across the country. Over the years, Canteni has met rescuers from California, Puerto Rico and beyond at the event, which has helped her build a more extensive network.

Not only is participating in the Puppy Bowl beneficial, it’s also fun!

“We keep coming back because it’s so much fun for the dogs and so much fun for us to go,” says Laurie Johnson, director of Florida Little Dog Rescue since 2009.

“It’s a really positive experience. I love that Animal Planet is so focused on making sure the dogs have a good day on set. If the pup is stressed, if he’s not feeling well, if he’s just overwhelmed, whatever, Animal Planet doesn’t push ih. It’s never about getting a shot; it’s always about whether that puppy is comfortable,” she adds.

Two puppy players consider a toy at the 2020 Puppy Bowl.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.

Since 2014, Florida Little Dog Rescue has had adoptable pups from its rescue division at the Puppy Bowl. A year of experience continues to be useful for Johnson.

“The fact that we’ve been able to spread the word that you can get any kind of rescue dog is amazing,” she says. “So many people have this misconception that if a dog is in a rescue, there’s something wrong with the dog.”

“Almost 99% of the dogs that are rescued are here because there was something wrong with their human, not because of anything they did or could have done differently that would have changed their circumstances,” adds Johnson.

She hopes the Puppy Bowl will continue to inspire animal lovers to seek out their next rescue pet.

“The biggest thing I hope people take away from the Puppy Bowl is that you can rescue any dog ​​you’re looking for. You can find the next great rescue family member. Again, it might not be tomorrow, it might not be next Tuesday, it might be next Wednesday . But just be patient and take your time and look. The dog you’re looking for is out there,” Johnson says.

For those who entered this year’s Puppy Bowl and feel inspired to help but can’t adopt, Johnson has another suggestion.

“Rescues are usually limited by the two Fs, funds and adopters. If you can’t adopt, consider donating to a local rescue because when you donate locally, more money goes straight to the dogs,” she says.

Puppy Bowl fans can see dogs from Florida Little Dog Rescue, AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport, Pack Leaders Rescue and more than 65 other shelters at Puppy Bowl 2024, which promises to be the “puppiest” Puppy Bowl yet.

Puppy Bowl XX will air on Sunday, February 11th at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT and will be simulcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and Discovery+.

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Source: HIS Education