Entertainment

Meet The 2016 Puppy Bowl Contestants

by Caitlin Flynn

Feb. 7, 2016

It's almost time for the best sporting event of the year — and I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XII airs at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 7 and they've assembled a seriously adorable lineup of rescue pups from all over the country. It's gotten a little difficult to keep track of all the cuteness in this event — 49 dogs are participating and a group of kittens will take over for the halftime show. Oh, and did I mention there will be chicken cheerleaders on the sidelines? There's nothing better than having so many adorable animals on our small screens for a few hours — and photos of the Puppy Bowl dogs prove that Animal Planet has once again outdone itself.

The dogs have been divided into two teams — #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff. How exactly will the game be managed, you ask? TV host and announcer Dan Schachner will be on hand to act as referee — and we can rest assured that he'll make sure it's a fair game. Some of his favorite penalties include "Illegal Retriever Down Field," "Unpuppylike conduct," and "Unnecessary ruff, ruff, ruff-ness." (Something tells me we can expect a lot of puns during this fabulous event.)

Before you tune in for Puppy Bowl XII, you have to see these 31 dogs from the starting lineup and learn a few things about them, courtesy of their Animal Planet bios. (Spoiler alert — you'll probably want to take them all home.)

1. Clover

This little Basset Hound hails from Tennessee.

2. Countess

A member of #TeamFluff, Countess is an English Bulldog from Florida.

3. Gryffin

Confession — I'm already obsessed with Gryffin, an English Sheepdog on #TeamFluff.

4. Hank

What does a Yellow Lab and Husky mix look like? Meet Hank — he's already stolen my heart.

5. Jimmy

Jimmy is a spaniel mix from Iowa.

6. Marley

Marley's a lab mix on #TeamRuff.

7. Miss Sassy

Miss Sassy, a Boston Terrier with an amazing name, is a member of #TeamFluff.

8. Otis

A bulldog from Tennessee, Otis looks like he means business.

9. Raphael

Raphael is a Pit Bull on #TeamRuff — he has such a sweet face, but maybe he's just trying to lull the competition into a false sense of security.

10. Sailor

Sailor is a seriously adorable Australian Cattle Dog on #TeamFluff.

11. Samoa

Samoa is Husky-Shepherd mix on #TeamFluff.

12. Splash

Splash the Great Pyrenees is exceptionally fluffy, so naturally she's a member of #TeamFluff.

13. Toby

Meanwhile, over on #TeamRuff, we have Toby the Maltese.

14. Wrinkles

Wrinkles is the perfect name for this guy — and he's a Shar-Pei on #TeamFluff.

15. Rixton

Rixton is a Shetland Sheepdog on #TeamRuff and he's really mastered the "puppy dog eyes" already.

16. Timber

Also on #TeamRuff is Timber, a Labrador mix.

17. Tate

This little beagle will be competing for #TeamRuff.

18. Atticus

Atticus is a husky-lab mix from Virginia.

19. Bella

Meet Bella — a Rat Terrier on #TeamRuff.

20. Boris

Boris is a four-month-old Havanese from Florida. His team hasn't been revealed, but I think he should be on #TeamFluff (because he's so fluffy, of course).