The 2024 Puppy Bowl is just around the corner, and this year the big game referee has someone special helping him decide.
Dan Schachner has been a referee at the Puppy Bowl for over a decade.
“This is my 13th year,” Schachner, who will be a referee for the upcoming Puppy Bowl XX, tells PEOPLE.
“This is Puppy Bowl 20. It just keeps growing and growing and this year will be no exception,” he says of the Puppy Bowl’s big anniversary in 2024, adding, “I’m ecstatic.”
The 2024 Puppy Bowl, which airs Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT, promises to be the “most beautiful” Puppy Bowl ever, with 131 canine participants from 73 shelters and rescues in 36 states and territories .
The shelter dog wags its tail excitedly as it watches its new mom fill out the adoption paperwork — watch!
“There are dogs working the cameras. There are dogs in the control rooms. There are dogs on the red carpet. Cheerleaders, trainers, you name it, they’re everywhere,” Schachner says of the upcoming event.
Another new dog on the field for the 2024 Puppy Bowl is Whistle, the canine sporting event’s first assistant referee. Whistle the poodle mix is ready to win the hearts of Puppy Bowl viewers after first earning Schachner’s love.
Dan Schachner cuddles with his dog Whistle, a poodle mix.
Courtesy of Dan Schachner
Schachner and his family officially adopted the dog “fluffball” in late 2023 after 10 years of fostering dogs. Whistle is Schachner’s first pet since his childhood dog.
How did Whistle charm the Puppy Bowl judge, who has met hundreds of precious rescue dogs during his career? Most of it came down to timing, according to Schachner.
“When I first got the job, I was tempted, of course we’re tempted every year,” the Puppy Bowl judge remembers, “But I said, ‘Let me learn.’ There’s no better way to learn than through adoption.” . I remain a staunch adopter. If you’re not sure what kind of dog to get, if you can handle taking care of a dog, or any trepidation, you should 1000% adopt him.”
In the past 10 years of fostering pets, Schachner and his family have helped care for 40 different dogs and have enjoyed each pup’s company.
“You’re doing well because you’re making room at the shelter for the next dog. So you’re automatically winning here and helping the shelter,” she says of the many benefits of adopting pets, adding, “Forty different dogs in 10 years really gave me perspective.”
Schachner’s family fostered large dogs, small dogs, special needs dogs and senior dogs before adopting Whistle. All of their pet care experience has left them confident that they will know which pet is right for them.
When Schachner met Whistle through Phoenix Animal Rescue at an adoption event in Pennsylvania while looking for a puppy to adopt as his assistant judge, he had an inkling that the puppy mill rescue dog could become a permanent member of the family. He brought Whistle home, and after the second night of adopting the dog, Schachner’s family was sitting together, “and we’re just like, ‘This is the one, right? This is the one.'”
Schachner adopted Whistle in December after several months of fostering, during which the pup underwent several vet exams for a luxated patella, “a fancy way of saying dislocated kneecap,” according to the ref.
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Dan Schachner (far right) with his family, including new puppy Whistle.
Courtesy of Dan Schachner
“It’s hard for her to run. She can’t walk up the stairs very well because of her kneecaps. It’s something that will require surgery later. But so far, she’s good,” adds Schachner.
Animal lovers can expect to see Whistle referee much of the 2024 Puppy Bowl from Schachner’s hands. He says the spot gives the pup a perfect view to cover the game.
“I think the Puppy Bowl assistant referee is probably a long overdue idea; I’ve always needed a little help on the field. And honestly, having a striped dog on the field helps increase my authority because other dogs see me with a dog and they say, ‘ Ah, this guy is cool. I trust this guy,'” explains Schachner.
Whistle is a valued member of the Schachner family off the field.
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“It was great,” says the judge of having Whistle as a pet. “It’s been a lot of changes for this little dog. If you think about it, going from a breeder, being surrendered to a rescue, medical issues and going to the Puppy Bowl,”
Whistle took it all with a sweet demeanor.
“She’s the most beautiful, sweetest dog you’ll ever meet,” says Schachner.
Schachner notes that adopting Whistle doesn’t mean the dogs he’s fostered before were “disappointments.”
“They’ve all been great and they’ve all been amazing learning experiences. It’s like Santa doesn’t have his own children. He has children all over the world. Every child is Santa’s child. It’s the same idea. I got to follow these dogs on Instagram and see their eternal lives, these 40 dogs, and that’s the most fulfilling thing,” he says.
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The Puppy Bowl judge hopes his enriching experience with pet adoption will inspire others to adopt and adopt.
“Adopting and fostering is the way to go, and I will forever shout from the rooftops that you must adopt, not shop,” shares Schachner.
Puppy Bowl fans can get a peek at the variety of dogs they can meet at animal shelters across the country by watching Puppy Bowl XX. Puppy Bowl 2024 will air on Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT, simulcast will air on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and Discovery+.
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Source: HIS Education