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The Puppy Bowl: Behind the scenes of TV’s cutest show Think the Super Bowl is tough? It’s no easy feat to wrangle 63 puppies, 21 kittens and 9 hedgehogs into a stadium-shaped set for the other big game. Here’s what happened at the taping of Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl IX.
You may laugh or roll your eyes at the Puppy Bowl, but it’s the most successful counterprogramming to the Super Bowl yet. Each year, the two hours of footage of puppies playing in a stadium-shaped box brings in millions of viewers and a healthy advertising revenue.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
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Adele Godfrey has Willis, a long-haired chihuahua mix, pose for the camera. Each puppy is available for adoption, and their glamour shots are available on Animal Planet’s Web site. When each puppy was presented to the room of photographers and handlers, he or she was met with a unanimous “awww.”
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Sandi Buck removes an overactive puppy from the set during the taping of Animal Planet's “Puppy Bowl IX.” Buck is from the Humane Society, and ensures that all animals are safe during the two-day production.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
A miniature pinscher decides it would rather not play ball. The overstimulated puppies often get tired and lie down on the field for a nap — producing even more “awws.”
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Puppy Bowl producers hide their cameras inside toys to get extra-cute close-ups of the playful pups. They’ve also experimented with super-high-speed cameras that produce slow-mo shots of puppies shaking off and running, ears flopping around.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
“We've got poop on the set,” shouts a crew member. In game-day terminology, this is a foul.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Dan Schachner plays an enthusiastic puppy referee. He refers to the day’s other big game as “human football.” Schachner says that the hardest thing about being a Puppy Bowl ref is watching where you step.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
The crew and volunteers get blasted with confetti during the grand finale of the “Kitty Halftime Show.”
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Schachner says that fans take the Puppy Bowl even more seriously than he does. “I’ve gotten tweets from fans who were like, ‘No, that wasn’t technically a holding call, or a face mask — he didn’t put the paws on that puppy’s snout.’”
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Dre Cortes shakes catnip over the “Kitty Halftime Show” set. Despite the performance-enhancing substance, many of the kittens were somewhat subdued.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
The kittens are placed on the set, which is outfitted with a circus-like jungle gym of scratching posts, hidey holes, blowing tinsel, wagging toys, gyrating toys and rotating toys — but many of them are more interested in the cameras.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
All of the kittens, which come from area shelters, have already found happy homes. Pet adoption is a big mission of the Puppy Bowl.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Video and still photographers get eye-level views of the hedgehog “cheerleaders.” At one point, they tried putting cheerleading skirts of the hedgehogs, but since the spiny pets have no waistline, they didn't stay on.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Hedgehogs may not make good cheerleaders, but they were curious about the cameras. This is the first time hedgehogs have been used in the Puppy Bowl. Animal Planet tries to take it one step further each year.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Henry the hedgehog climbs down the back of his owner, Ashley Akenson, in the green room. Akenson smuggled the hedgehog in her carry-on bag on an Amtrak train to New York.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
A common sight behind the scenes at the Puppy Bowl: Employees and volunteers cuddling armloads of adoptable puppies, totally blissed-out on fluff.
Linda Davidson
/
The Washington Post
Sleepy puppies wait for their moment in the spotlight. It’s a long day for the pups, especially the ones that flew to the shoot from the West Coast.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Kristine Castillo, Jason Wugalter and veterinarian Nancy Ashley examine cats to check their health prior to the taping. All animals are checked by a vet to make sure they're healthy before being exposed to other animals.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
The least glamorous part of filming the Puppy Bowl: cleaning up sanitation pads used in temporary kitten pens.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Volunteer Pam Tomlin snuggles one of the kittens.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Twelve-year-old Tatum Henry watches her hedgehog, Kiwi, on the green-room monitor. The hedgehog owners were as nervous as stage parents to see their “babies” perform.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
Two pups sleep together backstage. Could the Puppy Bowl be any cuter?
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
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Section:/lifestyle/style
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