Pets

This Puppy Bowl β€˜TAILgate' will honor two cute California canine competitors

Fido fans will gather in San Diego to cheer on Callen and Petunia, a pair of Helen Woodward Animal Center alumni.

Puppy Bowl

What to Know

  • Puppy TAILgate with the Helen Woodward Animal Center
  • McGregor's Bar & Grill
  • Sunday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m.
  • 10475 San Diego Mission Road in San Diego
  • Callen and Petunia, two alumni of the Rancho Santa Fe animal center, will compete in the beloved Animal Planet dog event
  • "142 puppy players from 80 rescues and shelters from across 40 states" will take part in the fundraiser, which raises funds for orphan pets and rescue programs
  • The TAILgate will help support the programs of the Helen Woodward Animal Center

PUPPY BOWL, the sweetest showdown around, doesn't have the highest stakes of a major sports event, but it does, without argument, possess the snuggliest stakes. That's because the annual spectacular β€” you can find it on Animal Planet each and every Super Bowl Sunday β€” isn't about tallying the final score: Rather, the heartwarming show spotlights dozens of adoptable puppies and the rescues that have been helping them find their forever homes. The Golden State always produces more than a few spunky Puppy Bowl stars β€” over 140 dogs from 40 states will appear in the 2025 game β€” so it is no surprise that a pair of playful pooches will get their own "hometown heroes" party in San Diego.

MEET CALLEN AND PETUNIA, two adorable alums from the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. The duo will play with toys and other pooches at Puppy Bowl XXI, and the center's dedicated staffers and supporters will gather at McGregor's Bar & Grill to root for them. (Callen is a Dachshund blend, shares the center, while Petunia has some Terrier moxie and plenty of pluck.) Well, let's be real: Every Puppy Bowl viewer wants all of the players to "win," and by that we do mean find a loving person, or persons, they can call their own. If you're in the Mission Valley neck of the woods on Super Bowl Sunday β€” that's Feb. 9 β€” trot by the bar to catch the pupfully uplifting action. Something nice? Ten percent of food and drink purchases during the event will be donated to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

OTHER PUPPY BOWL PARTIES... will "paw-p up" on the Feb. 9 calendar at some rescues around the country, or at bars and restaurants near shelters, so check with your favorite animal organization to find out what is in the works. The greatest goal of the furry football-inspired romp? To help animal rescues help these floppy-eared, tail-wagging sportspups find a fresh start in a home they can call their own. Everyone, in short, is a winner in this cheer-worthy outcome.

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