Entertainment
Meet The 2016 Puppy Bowl Contestants
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).
21. Brooklyn
Brooklyn the German Shepherd will definitely grow into her ears pretty soon — but for now, let's just appreciate how adorable she is at 13 weeks old.
22. Buttons
Buttons is a Shih Tzu on #TeamFluff.
23. Carolina
Carolina is an American Stratfordshire Terrier from New York.
24. Charlie
Charlie is a Feist-Whippet mix on #TeamFluff.
25. Cooper
Cooper, a Great Pyrenees-Collie mix on #TeamFluff has also stolen my heart. I'm sensing a pattern here.
26. Gordon
Gordon's an adorable English Setter on #TeamFluff.
27. Harper
And this is Harper, a Pit Bull on #TeamRuff.
28. Kevin
Meet Kevin — a Schnauzer on #TeamFluff.
29. Leah
Leah's a Rottweiler on #TeamRuff.
30. Bijoux
Next up is Bijoux, a Great Dane competing on #TeamFluff.
31. Scout
Last but definitely not least is Scout, an Australian Shepherd from Indiana.
Now that you've familiarized yourself with these adorable faces, get ready to cheer for them and their teammates when they hit the field.
Images: Keith Barraclough/Animal Planet (32)