Virginia Puppy Bowl players ranked by Dogwood

Photo by Megan Stallings on Unsplash

By Ava Edwards

February 6, 2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The Puppy Bowl! Forget about the Super Bowl because this is the only sporting event that’s worth a “bark.”

Coming back for its 11th year, the Puppy Bowl has become a staple for many sports fans and not-so-sports fans alike.

Hosted by Discovery+, the Puppy Bowl takes puppies who are up for adoption, and gives them the ultimate platform in hopes of finding their forever homes.

The goal of this program is not only to entertain, but also to show that shelter dogs are just as cute as a purebred-designer-pup.

The game works much like football (with an adorable twist of course), where pups drag toys to one end of the field in hopes to score points. Of course, the puppies aren’t aware of the rules and just think it’s play time, which makes each year as unique and fun as the next.

Virginia is heavily represented this year, as 14 pups from Alexandria, Chesapeake, Meherrin, and Troy fight for glory.

While many of these cuties will already be adopted before they hit the green, there’s always a chance that some of the pups are still available. Here’s the list of Virginia players:

Abigail (Labrador/Retriever mix)—Operation Paws for Home in Alexandria
Blaze (Shih Tzu Poodle mix)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Captain (Pembrooke Welsh Corgi)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Demure (Cairn Terrier)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Gorby (French Bulldog)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Gumbo (Chinese Shar-Pei)—Shar Pei Rescue of Virginia in Chesapeake
Hunter (Doberman Pinscher)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Mabel (Chinese Shar-Pei)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Mary (German Shorthaired Pointer/Bluetick Coonhound mix)—Southside SPCA in Meherrin
Maya (Doberman Pinscher/American Staffordshire Terrier mix)—Operation Paws for Home in Alexandria
Princess Sophia (French Bulldog)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Rain (West Highland White Terrier)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
Spike (Great Pyrenees/Labrador Retriever mix)—Southside SPCA in Meherrin
Trevor (Border Collie)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy

For the complete list of pups, visit Discovery+’s website. But of course, there are many other animals up for adoption in the commonwealth. Need help finding a shelter near you? Virginia’s government website has a comprehensive list of every facility in our great state.

And if you’re curious about who I’m rooting for, here’s my official ranking (though they’re so adorable, it’s almost impossible to choose favorites!)

Trevor
Spike
Abigail
Mary
Blaze
Gorby
Hunter
Captain
Demure
Mabel
Maya
Princess Sophia
Rain
Gumbo

Ava Edwards

Ava is an up-and-coming journalist who recently graduated from William & Mary with a degree in English. She's written for news publications such as her school's newspaper, The Flat Hat, and Hampton Roads' WAVY-TV 10. As a lifelong Virginia resident, she looks forward to informing her community on the latest information and events.

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CATEGORIES: ANIMALS

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