MEHERRIN, Va. -- A Central Virginia animal rescue group is taking part in Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl" for a second time.
The 21-year tradition on Super Bowl weekend puts precious puppies in the national spotlight to raise awareness about the benefits of pet adoption.
"Team Ruff" and "Team Fluff" will go nose to nose in the "Puppy Bowl" as two rookies from Central Virginia, Spike and Hail Mary, take the field in New York.
Southside SPCA Assistant Director Francee Schuma sees it as a great time for the pups and an even more exciting opportunity for the rescue group.
"Not only does it get our name out locally, but nationally," Schuma said. "I mean, we're playing with the big dogs now, right? So it gets us on the map, and it opens peoples' eyes, not only in the Virginia area, but outside of the Virginia area, that we have great dogs, and we have a great organization."
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Spike and Hail Mary actually filmed the "Puppy Bowl" back in October, allowing the Animal Planet crew time to shoot, edit, and promote the game before the big day.
The Southside SPCA was sworn to secrecy for quite a while. And a lot can happen in four months, especially for these puppies.
They've grown so much, and their owners had no idea when adopting the pups that they were stars.
Cameras were there as Spike, now named Barrett, invited Hail Mary, now Lucy, over for a playdate.
When Deanna Turner of Richmond and Linda Comb from Goochland adopted them, all they knew was that they had to be available on February 9.
"We were told he was part of a national project, but no more than that," Comb said. "So I came home all excited! I was telling my husband about it, and he immediately figured it out since it's Super Bowl Sunday, he must be in the 'Puppy Bowl.'"
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"Oh, I'm definitely going to scream!" Turner said. "My family is already ready for this. Now that I've been able to announce it to them, they're going nuts! All my friends and family, from Vermont down to Florida, are ready to watch with her in there."
Shooting a national TV show in New York is a far cry from these dogs' humble beginnings. Barrett was rescued from a dumpster site where he had been left with his mother and her litter. That’s why Schuma and Pam Schutrumpf, the dog adoptions coordinator, say the long drive and wrangling puppies through an eight-hour TV shoot was worth it.
"It is to give a voice to the other animals out there who aren't 'Puppy Bowl' puppies but are just as deserving and just as wonderful as these pets are," Schutrumpf said. "And it sheds some light on the importance of adopting pets from shelters."
The "Puppy Bowl" airs this Sunday on Animal Planet. You can see the game and meet the Southside SPCA’s superstar pups at a watch party being held at O’Toole’s on Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield. The celebration starts at 2 p.m.
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