Tale of the Tape: Team Fluff vs. Team Ruff

With the first round of the NFL playoffs in the books, we’re four weeks away from the big game: the yearly tradition of two teams featuring some of our best athletes colliding for the crown. No, not the Super Bowl. Rather, its cuter counterpart — the Puppy Bowl. For the past 17 years, the Puppy Bowl has been an adorable refuge from the often chaotic and intense nature of Super Bowl Sunday. Airing earlier in the day before its human parallel, the game includes exclusively shelter puppies and is intended to raise awareness of the importance of adopting from rescues and the prevalence of pets abandoned in them. Organizations from across the states volunteer pups for this cuddly competition so you can watch 50-plus dogs tumble over each other while supporting a decent cause. These are the dogs (and their rescues) taking the field this year in the annual showdown between Team Fluff and Team Ruff. 

Puppy Bowl XVIII airs Sunday, February 13th at 2 p.m. EST on Animal Planet.

Team Fluff

Baxter / Florida Little Dog Rescue

Benny / Bosley’s Place

Blondie / Providence Animal Center

Birch / Ninna’s Road to Rescue

Bunny / Green Dogs Unleashed

Chorizo / Paws Crossed

Cooper Pupp / Angel City Pit Bulls

Dinozzo / Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue

Firework / Helen Woodward Animal Center

Forrest / Brandywine Valley SPCA

Glaze / Green Dogs Unleashed

Heidi / Virginia Beach SPCA

Irwin / The Sato Project

Kali / Lifeline Puppy Rescue

Kirby / America’s VetDogs

Mallorie / Rescue City

Mario /  The Sato Project

Mr. Tinkles / Shih Tzu & Furbabies Rescue 

Nugget / Florida Little Dog Rescue

Pudding / Rutland County Humane Society

Raspberry / Shaggy Dog Rescue

Rob Gronchowski / Love My Pitties Rescue

Sammie / Virginia Beach SPCA

Sky / ROAR Animal Rescue

Squeak / Florida Little Dog Rescue

Wasabi / The Sato Project

Wes / The Sato Project

Ziggy / Rescue City

Team Ruff

Aspen / Operation Paws for Home

Banjo / Rescue City

Biff /  Last Chance Animal Rescue  

Billie / Compassion Kind

Bimini / Orange Twins Rescue

Cannon / Save An Angel

Conchita / Miami-Dade County Animal Services

Ellington / Shaggy Dog Rescue

Emmylou /  The Anti-Cruelty Society

Hoku / Maui Humane Society

Jackson / Muddy Paws Rescue

Lucy / Rescue City

Lulu / Pack Leaders Rescue of CT

Luna / Danbury Animal Welfare Society (DAWS)

Maisie / Compassion Kind

Maribel / East Greenwich Animal Protection League (EGAPL)

Missy / Providence Animal Center

Moby / Harley’s Haven Dog Rescue

Noir / Charlie’s Crusaders Pet Rescue

Ocean / Matchdog Rescue

Odin / Big Fluffy Dog Rescue

Pongo / Green Dogs Unleashed

Pops / Center for Animal Health and Welfare (CAHW)

Ridley / Green Dogs Unleashed

Scotty / Matchdog Rescue

Snowball / Wagmor Pets

Surf / Miami-Dade County Animal Services

Tayce / Orange Twins Rescue

Ted D. Bear / Florida Little Dog Rescue