The annual Puppy Bowl that airs on Super Bowl Sunday is typically filmed on a soundstage in Manhattan in early October. Due to COVID, the normally huge event was relocated to the Cool Insuring Arena right here in Glens Falls.
A Pupp-rific Event – But COVID-Style
The local sports venue provided the perfect socially distanced space for the 17th annual Puppy Bowl, filmed last fall. The 70 puppies that participated were brought in from shelters across the Northeast and had plenty of room to romp, play, and compete.
In a typical year, the Puppy Bowl comprises about 100 dogs from all over the country. Keeping the puppies within driving distance helped with COVID restrictions and guidelines. Naturally, everyone on set were masks, were tested frequently, and production reportedly moved slower than usual, to accommodate the new environment and additional regulations.
It’s Almost Like a Real Football Game
To keep the number of humans down as well as canines, fewer staff members were on hand to take care of details like washing toys between takes. And so, there were fewer toys on the field, but this turned out to be something of a positive.
“This is going to sound ridiculous, but it was closer to human football,” Ruffarree Dan Schachner told USA Today. “The puppies were focused on one ball or toy as opposed to 20.”
You can watch this adorable doggie version of the Super Bowl on February 7 on Animal Planet or via the new Discovery+ streaming service. The event spans three hours this year instead of two, so enjoy every fur-filled minute!
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Sources:
- US Today: ‘Puppy Bowl:’ How Animal Planet pulled off a ‘supersized’ COVID-era game
