Every year, just before the Super Bowl starts, Animal Planet sponsors a “Puppy Bowl” in order to raise awareness for the “Adopt Don’t Shop” movement, as well as show off adoptable puppies. Not only is this an opportunity for puppies to be adopted, but draws in viewers for the “aw” factor.  

“I think it is a really cute concept. Dogs you buy from a [pet store] are usually from puppy mills…A lot of dogs from places you adopt, are not purebred, but the tend to be healthier and live longer,” freshman Tristan Owens said.

Thirty nine puppies will be up for adoption during the Puppy Bowl, according to Animal Planet. The Animal Planet website has resources and tools available for future puppy parents that are searching to adopt.

“I think it’s adorable, and the fact that they get adopted afterwards is great! Promoting the adoption of shelter animals is amazing,” freshman Brooke Petito said.

The “Adopt, Don’t Shop” movement took off in 2014, with companies like PETA raising awareness for it. The primary purpose of the campaign is to get customers looking for a puppy to stray from puppy mills and pet stores who support the mills.

“Puppy mills, where purebred dogs are made and sold like candy bars, are not at all okay. The mothers of all the puppies live in horrible conditions and are forced to give birth to multiple liters. After they stop producing puppies they are thrown out and no longer cared for,” freshman Kayla McGennis said.

The Puppy Bowl provides a creative way to display dogs that come from shelters, not breeders, according to USA Today. The Puppy Bowl hopes to show that shelter dogs are not bad dogs, and that buying purebred is not always better.

“Dogs from shelters are much more loving and trusting to their new owners, and animals that do not get adopted within a certain amount of time are [often] euthanized. So when you adopt, you´re saving a life, and shopping is only giving breeders money,” McGennis said.

The Puppy Bowl, while entertaining is not just a humorous and entertaining pre-game television show, it is a way to raise awareness for dogs suffering in puppy mills, and dogs that need a home. To find out more about the Puppy Bowl, visit www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/.