Highlights from Cape Coral Animal Shelter Puppy Bowl 2023
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter hosted its first-ever Puppy Bowl in 2023. It featured a few of the greater than 40 puppies of their care.
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What do you do you probably have too many puppies? If you are the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, you place the lovely furballs in soccer outfits and make’em play the Super Bowl.
Well, not the Super Bowl, precisely.
It’s the Puppy Bowl – the Cape Coral version.
Now if solely the puppies will cooperate and rating some touchdowns. Sometimes they simply need to frolick and nibble the faux grass.
“We throw the soccer and attempt to have them combat over it and get it to the tip zone and rating,” says Liz McCauley, govt director of the animal shelter. “Sometimes that occurs, and generally that does not occur.
“And generally they decide it up and run within the different path.”
Cape Coral’s Puppy Bowl II: Now stay and in-person
This is the second yr of the animal shelter’s Puppy Bowl, the Cape’s tackle the popular Puppy Bowl TV show that airs Super Bowl Sunday on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, TruTV and Max. That three-hour occasion celebrates its twentieth anniversary this yr.
The Cape present streams live on Facebook at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 11. And this yr, folks can really come out and watch the “sport” stay, too. The present ends at about 12:30 p.m., giving folks loads of time to go home and watch The San Francisco 49ers battle the Kansas City Chiefs within the actual Super Bowl.
This yr’s present will likely be streamed stay ― a response to public demand. After the primary Puppy Bowl posted final yr, canine lovers went completely nuts, McCauley says.
“People had been calling the shelter,” she says. “We had been getting all these calls going, ‘Oh my God, we wanna come and watch Puppy Bowl! When can we come?'”
Taylor and Travis showing at Puppy Bowl. Sort of.
For Puppy Bowl II, the shelter will put six or seven puppies at a time in considered one of their typical play yards.
Except this enclosure has been outfitted with a inexperienced carpet painted with white strains to appear to be a soccer discipline. And as an alternative of romping round bare, these puppies will likely be carrying tiny soccer and cheerleader outfits.
The present even has its personal doggy model of superstar couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, performed by shelter dogs Mildura and Pretzel. That’ll be Mildura within the blonde wig.
Mildura and Pretzel are a real-life, animal-shelter romance, McCauley says.
Let’s name it puppy love.
“They’re in love with one another,” she says concerning the furry couple. “They’ve been kenneled now for some time.”
Tom Ellegood, a shelter volunteer, returns this yr to placed on the silver whistle and striped shirt and umpire the occasion. He’ll additionally present the continuing commentary.
It’s enjoyable to observe the puppies do their factor, Ellegood says. Although generally meaning they utterly ignore the principles of the sport.
“We enable them to exit and simply entertain and be what puppies are – allow them to play and entertain themselves,” Ellegood says. “It’s a blast for me. I’ve a good time doing it.”
Puppy Bowl’s message: Adopt shelter dogs (and cats, too)
Just just like the nationwide Puppy Bowl, the Cape Coral present has an essential message past its irresistible cuteness. Both occasions encourage folks to go to animal shelters to undertake dogs and cats.
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter places the main focus squarely on puppies, though they’re going to additionally publish some cat movies on Super Bowl Sunday, too.
“Unfortunately, we at all times have too many puppies,” McCauley says. “People assume on a regular basis, ‘There’s by no means puppies in a shelter.’ There’s ALWAYS puppies in our shelter.”
McCauley encourages folks to “undertake and never store” in the event that they’re on the lookout for a puppy. And additionally check out older dogs.
The shelter presently has about 25-30 puppies, she says. They’ll all be enjoying within the Puppy Bowl, they usually’ll all ultimately be available for adoption.
Everybody a winner at Cape Coral Animal Shelter
At the actual Super Bowl, the winners get money and an enormous trophy. But the competitors is not fairly so intense on the Cape Coral Animal Shelter.
No precise winner will get declared at Puppy Bowl II.
It’s not about who wins the sport, actually, Ellegood says. It’s how a lot enjoyable they’ve enjoying it.
“They all are winners in our eyes,” Ellegood says. “Everybody is a winner with us.”
McCauley encourages folks to return to the shelter to observe the “huge sport” on Sunday, Feb. 11. They’ll even have benches and chairs arrange for the spectators.
The occasion is free. Donations are at all times appreciated, McCauley says, however not essential.
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter is at 325 SW 2nd Avenue, Cape Coral. For extra info, name 573-2002 or go to facebook.com/CapeCoralAnimalShelter. The present will likely be streamed stay on that Facebook web page, too.
Charles Runnells is an arts and leisure reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To attain him, name 239-335-0368 (for tickets to reveals, name the venue) or electronic mail him at [email protected]. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (previously Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
