Regional canine athletes to compete in Sunday’s Puppy Bowl XIX

Five dogs from Fairfield County and four from the Westchester/Hudson Valley region will be among the 122 athletes participating in Puppy Bowl XIX, which will air on Sunday, Feb. 12 on Animal Planet.

The annual event, which airs the same day as the Super Bowl, pits Team Fluff and Team Ruff for the Lombarky trophy, with the standout athlete earning the title of MVP ”“ Most Valuable Pup. And while the rules of the game often seem to be improvised as the game progresses, the event is less concerned on scoring points and more focused on encouraging the adoption of furry friends from reputable organizations.

Local representation in this year”™s Puppy Bowl involves the Fairfield County canines Dakota and Stardust from the Danbury Animal Welfare Society in Bethel, Pauly and Schnitzel from ROAR in Ridgefield and Twinkle from Lucky Dog Refuge in Greenwich. The New York team involves Poe and Walker from A Second Chance for Ziva in Chatham, Bea from Arf Beacon in Beacon and Tom Barky from Paws Crossed Animal Rescue in Elmsford.

This year”™s Puppy Bowl will feature dogs from 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states and the Caribbean nation of Dominica.

Photo: Dakota from Danbury Animal Welfare Society, courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery