Puppy Bowl VIII

Superbowl Sunday may be the sporting event of the year, but its friendly and furry parody, Puppy Bowl VIII, provides the most aww-inducing spectacle of the year for animal lovers across the globe!

Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl features a cast of all-star critters. On the sidelines are the Chicken Cheerleaders and the Piggie Pep Squad to rev up positive energy for the players. To elevate the fan experience, a crew of Hamster Pilot work hard to give a Bird's Eye View of the action below from the Icebreaker's Blimp, while Meep the Bird tweets his commentary of the game to his Twitter followers. At the halfway mark, fabulous felines provide entertainment in the form of the Kitty Halftime Show.

The stars of the stadium, the Pedigree Pups, make up the starting line-ups, and each of the canines have their own cute and clever names and claims to fame. The hyperactive hounds score touchdowns with the balls and chew toys on the field - that is, if they don't get distracted by the refreshing bowls of water first!

This season's MVP Pooch Performer was rewarded to Fumble, the Chihuahua/Terrier Mix whose great enthusiasm on the field enabled him to make outstanding goals throughout the game. What is Fumble's fun fact? He has every Bow Wow song on his iPawd!

Two of my other favourite players are siblings Aberdeen and Abileen, the Australian Shepherd Mixes whose tail wagging determination led them to great triumphs!

All of the puppies on the Starting Line-up are shelter rescues. Learn more about animal adoption by checking out these Animal Planet resources.