Two of Wisconsin’s finest are headed to the Puppy Bowl this Sunday to compete against 150 dogs on national T.V. and show off their football skills.
Anson and Anvero, recently adopted mixed breed dogs from Underdog Pet Rescue of Wisconsin, were selected for the Puppy Bowl because of their playful energy and ability to socialize with other humans and dogs. Anson, who was born deaf, is even more heartwarming as he needs extra help navigating the world.
“[This] didn’t hold him back at all,” Underdog Pet Rescue Director Laura Brinkman told The Daily Cardinal, describing him as a playful dog who “jumped right into the Puppy Bowl arena without hesitation.”
Puppy Bowl XXII is a nationally televised event on Animal Planet showcasing adoptable rescue puppies and their shelters. The event brings dogs from 72 different shelters, ranging across the United States, Puerto Rico and British Virgin Islands.
Brinkman said she began working on this event in 2024, where she first sent in the puppies’ videos to apply for the bowl. She then was formally asked to attend in the summer of 2025, and ultimately film the puppies in the Puppy Bowl in the fall. The bowl is pretaped in October in New York, with all the puppies on a custom built field.
Brinkman said one of the most meaningful parts of the Puppy Bowl is that it challenges misconceptions that shelter and rescue dogs are “not healthy or well socialized.”.
“Once people see how happy and outgoing these puppies are it’ll change their perspective,” she said.
She pointed to another common misconception, which is that shelters rarely have purebred puppies. The Puppy Bowl proves otherwise, featuring a range of breeds and backgrounds, all of whom came from rescue organizations rather than breeders. This year will have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Toy Poodle, Boston Terrier, and more.
The exposure from the nationally televised event allows Underdog Pet Rescue to get in front of a much wider audience, bringing attention to countless pets still waiting for their forever homes.
To celebrate, Underdog Pet Rescue is hosting an event Sunday to watch the Puppy Bowl and meet their many adoptable animals hoping to find a family.
