Sure, the Super Bowl is great — but starting off your Super Bowl Sunday afternoon with the Puppy Bowl is the only way that real ones go about their business. It’s the ultimate event of cuteness and good vibes, especially considering that all of the dogs competing in the Puppy Bowl are up for adoption in various parts of the world. And while nothing will ever fully compete with the Super Bowl in terms of popularity, the pure wholesomeness of the Puppy Bowl makes it feel that much better.
And really, what else are you going to do with your time leading up to the Super Bowl that’s better than the Puppy Bowl? Watching Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff is easily the best use of your hours leading up to the Big Game. But you want to be sure not to miss a second of the action, so let’s dive into when the 2026 Puppy Bowl starts, and everything fans need to know in order to watch this year’s event.
What time does the Puppy Bowl 2026 start? Full broadcast information
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
- Start Time: 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
- TV Info: Animal Planet
- Announcers: Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks
- Streaming: HBO Max
The Puppy Bowl will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 8 with the broadcast being featured on Animal Planet and Discovery networks. That also means that the event, which will be the 22nd time that the Puppy Bowl has been played, will be streaming via a paid subscription on HBO Max, which should help viewers be able to watch no matter where they are. It also gives fans a good buffer with 4.5 hours from the start of this event to kickoff of the Super Bowl.
One of the great things that the Puppy Bowl does, as well, is to add to the fun-loving nature of the event. Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks being such well-known sports media personalities but signing up to do the Puppy Bowl broadcast is just plain awesome, and makes the event that much more fun. They’ve learned a lot over the years, and this is clearly one of those spots.
Puppy Bowl rosters: Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff and adoption information
Team Ruff Roster
| Dog Name (Breed) | Location (If Available) | Shelter Info (If Available) |
|---|---|---|
| Miss Coco (American Staffordshire Terrier / Chow Chow) | Tortola, British Virgin Islands | Humane Society of the British Virgin Islands |
| Brulée (Boston Terrier / French Bulldog) | Troy, VA | Green Dogs Unleashed |
| Button (Boston Terrier / Beagle) | Buffalo, NY | Nickel City Canine Rescue |
| Litchi (French Bulldog / American Staffordshire Terrier) | Los Angeles, CA | Angel City Pit Bulls |
| Rupaw (Boston Terrier) | Smyrna, GA | Bosley’s Place |
| Lobster Roll (Bulldog / Border Collie) | Westbrook, ME | Animal Rescue League of Greater Portland |
| Carrie Pawshaw (American Eskimo Dog / Norwegian Elkhound) | Pittsburgh, PA | Paws Across Pittsburgh |
| Oscar (Toy Poodle) | West Chester, PA | Phoenix Animal Rescue |
| Asiago | ||
| Avro | ||
| Barker Playfield | ||
| Basil | ||
| Baxter | ||
| Bee | ||
| Bella Rose | ||
| Bianca | ||
| Boopsie | ||
| Brooke | ||
| Carolina | ||
| Chai | ||
| Charlie | ||
| Clementine | ||
| Dan | ||
| Dandelion | ||
| Derby | ||
| Devon-tails Smith | ||
| Dottie | ||
| Duke Snugglebug | ||
| Eleanor | ||
| Felix | ||
| Foggy | ||
| Foxy | ||
| Gold Nugget | ||
| Itsy | ||
| Knick Knack | ||
| Kol | ||
| Lander | ||
| Levi | ||
| Lin | ||
| Miso | ||
| Monica | ||
| Nova | ||
| Poppy | ||
| Princess Hattie | ||
| Queso | ||
| Raquel | ||
| Remy | ||
| Roly | ||
| Rosie | ||
| Sabrina | ||
| Sadie | ||
| Sandy | ||
| Shirley | ||
| Shishi | ||
| Silas | ||
| Sugar | ||
| Tostada | ||
| Vanilla Bean | ||
| Vernon |
Team Fluff Roster
| Dog Name (Breed) | Location (If Available) | Shelter Info (If Available) |
|---|---|---|
| Benito (Siberian Husky / Chihuahua) | New York, NY | The Sato Project |
| Fudge (Pomeranian / Chihuahua) | Los Angeles, CA | SPCALA |
| Cheesecake (Shih Tzu / Miniature Schnauzer) | St. Louis, MO | Humane Society of Missouri |
| Wynona (Miniature American Shepherd / Shih Tzu) | Louisville, KY | Kentucky Humane Society |
| Josh Howlin’ (Beagle / American Pitt Bull Terrier) | Buffalo, NY | Buddy’s Second Chance Rescue |
| Chappell Bone (Pembroke Welse Corgi) | St. Cloud, FL | Florida Little Dog Rescue |
| Showgirl (Chow Chow / Rottweiler) | Louisville, KY | Kentucky Humane Society |
| Rhett (Basset Hound) | Mishawaka, IN | Homeward Bound |
| Albi | ||
| Amelia | ||
| Anson | ||
| Apple | ||
| Atticus | ||
| Auggie | ||
| Baguette | ||
| Betsy | ||
| Boba | ||
| Cash | ||
| Cinnamon | ||
| Cookie | ||
| Cricket | ||
| Dumpling | ||
| Ellis | ||
| Evelyn | ||
| Fairy | ||
| Finch | ||
| Grasshopper | ||
| Jill | ||
| Juana | ||
| Juno | ||
| Leo | ||
| Lewis | ||
| Lilah | ||
| Luna | ||
| Macadamia | ||
| Margot | ||
| Maverick | ||
| Meeko | ||
| Mia Muffin | ||
| Misty | ||
| Mutt Snifford | ||
| Niklaus | ||
| Nix | ||
| Ozzy | ||
| Paddy | ||
| Paris | ||
| Patch | ||
| Pickles | ||
| Polly | ||
| Riley | ||
| Slugger | ||
| Strawberry | ||
| Summer | ||
| Suzy | ||
| Teddy | ||
| Teigan | ||
| Teton | ||
| Tiny | ||
| Travis | ||
| Truffle | ||
| Twiggy | ||
| Twilight Barkle | ||
| Violet | ||
| Winnie |
There are obviously some phenomenal names among the puppies that fit right into the Super Bowl theme of the Puppy Bowl and the week as a whole. Mutt Snifford might miss the mark slightly, but Josh Howlin’ is incredible work. And we even have what appears to be a Bad Bunny shoutout with Benito. It’s also wonderful that we get to see some adorable special needs puppies who get to participate and potentially be adopted as a result of this event.
In that same light, one thing that the Puppy Bowl has done in recent years is to also include senior dogs who are available for adoption. As we know, senior dogs are exponentially less likely to get adopted than puppies, so it’s a beautiful thing that the network and organizers of the Puppy Bowl are doing in order to try and see these older dogs get adopted.
Here’s a look at the roster of Senior Dogs.
Senior Dog Roster
| Dog Name |
|---|
| Boomer |
| Caddie |
| Charlotte |
| Daisy |
| Emmie |
| Gazpacho |
| Jodi |
| Matthew |
| Melvin |
| Mooney |
| Pugsley |
| Starlight |
| Tiki |
| Willie |
Again, this all goes to show that, not only is the Puppy Bowl providing maximum cuteness for viewers and fans to enjoy, but it’s all done in the name of a terrific cause to try and help humane societies spark more adoptions. It doesn’t get any better than that, and there’s really, truly no better way to get your Super Bowl Sunday started than this.
