Puppy Bowl ref Dan Schachner reveals secrets behind the biggest little game with the cutest players on the field (sorry, AJ Barner).
As the official Puppy Bowl “rufferee” since 2012, ref Dan Schachner has seen hundreds of dogs “compete” and get adopted in the longest-running call-to-adoption television event.
Just like the Kelce brothers competed against each other in the Super Bowl in 2023, the dogs who play in the Puppy Bowl are often siblings, like Puppy Bowl XXII‘s Kol and Niklausm, who will represent Team Ruff and Team Fluff, respectively.
“A family dynasty is born,” he jokes. “Many of these shelters we work with will often say, ‘We want to bring this dog, but he’s bonded with his sibling.’ We don’t want to separate them because they’re so young. Last year, we had 10 sibling pairs; this year, I think we have 12 sibling pairs. We like to show them on opposing sides because we like the sibling rivalry.”
As in years past, the adoptable kitties will perform during the halftime show.
However, after 20-plus years of puppies, the Puppy Bowl is adding senior dogs into the mix, introducing the Pro-Dog Halftime Showdown with the Goldies vs. the Oldies.
I loved getting to talk to Schachner about how long it takes to film this annual event, what it smells like on the field (you know you wonder yourself!), and how many flags there would be if every dog were penalized for peeing.
Watch my full interview below!
Puppy Bowl returns for the 22nd year on Sunday, February 8 at 2:00PM ET/11:00AM PT and will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and discovery+.
