ANDREW DAROSA, STAFF WRITER
Jan. 17, 2024 Thirteen Connecticut rescue pups will square off to bring their team — Team Ruff or Team Fluff — to victory and have a shot winning the "Lombarky” trophy in the upcoming Puppy Bowl. Seven Connecticut shelters will be represented at this year's Puppy Bowl: American Lab Rescue, Connecticut Humane Society, Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Dog Star Rescue, Lucky Dog Refuge, Pack Leaders Refuge of CT and Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue, according to a news release. Last year, nine pups from Connecticut made the team. The Puppy Bowl aims to highlight the efforts of rescue and shelter workers helping animals find new homes, the news release said. Puppy Bowl XX features 131 puppies, and 73 shelters and rescues from 36 states. Some puppies will be "manning the control room," a bit in the show that will feature pups stationed next to lighting panels and cameras as they "control" them, according to a spokesperson for the Puppy Bowl. Longtime referee Dan Schachner will return this year to mark his thirteenth year overseeing the Puppy Bowl. Schachner will have his own puppy assistant coach on the sidelines. As with previous years, the Kitty Halftime Show will take center stage during intermission. In celebration of the twentieth Puppy Bowl, four previous Puppy Bowl players will return to the gridiron to be inducted into the new Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame. Puppy Bowl XX will take place on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m., and will air on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, TruTV, discovery + and Max. Scroll below to see which Connecticut dogs are participating in this year's Puppy Bowl.
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Hartford Courant: This year’s Puppy Bowl XX is featuring several CT pooches. Here’s a sneak peek.1/16/2024 By STAFF REPORT
PUBLISHED: January 16, 2024 at 10:21 a.m. | UPDATED: January 16, 2024 at 1:26 p.m. The Puppy Bowl enters its 20th iteration this year, and several Connecticut pooches have made the cut for the big game, according to the organization. This year’s local puppies come from a mix of different shelters across the state: American Lab Rescue in Willington, Connecticut Humane Society in Newington, Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Dog Star in Canton, Lucky Dog Refuge in Stamford, Pack Leaders of CT in East Hartford, and ROAR in Ridgefield. “The three-hour television matchup will be the biggest yet, featuring 131 puppies, 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories – including the all-time smallest pup, Sweetpea, at 1.7 lbs and the biggest, Levi the Great Dane at 72 lbs,” according to a release. Here’s a sneak peek of every CT puppy playing in Puppy Bowl XX (as well as the shelter they come from). You can catch the action Sunday, Feb. 11 on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, discovery+, and Max. Check out the cuddly pups set for action in this year's Puppy Bowl, which returns for a 20th year on Feb. 11 on Discovery+, Max, and Animal Planet. By Wesley Stenzel Published on January 12, 2024 The Puppy Bowl is right around the corner, and there are more dogs than ever competing in this year’s extra-paw-ganza. The three-hour matchup will see 131 puppies from 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories. The game is celebrating its 20th anniversary, so to spice up the proceedings for the momentous occasion, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that “puppies are taking over the show’s production by operating the cameras and lighting, directing from the control room, stage managing on the studio floor and even coaching Team Ruff and Team Fluff.” We’ll also see the smallest and biggest puppies ever featured in a Puppy Bowl this year: Sweetpea weighs just 1.7 lbs, while Levi the Great Dane weighs 72 lbs. Check out our gallery below to meet all the very good boys and girls competing in the 2024 Puppy Bowl. 01 of 67 | Rebekah Lucky Dog Refuge (Stamford, Conn.) 11 of 67 | Betty Lucky Dog Refuge (Stamford, Conn.) 18 of 67 | Inez Lucky Dog Refuge (Stamford, Conn.)
On Sunday, February 11th, these puppies can't wait to show off their moves on the field for PUPPY BOWL XX! Here's the 2024 full player line up from Team Ruff and Team Fluff. Plus, meet the sixteen Starting Line Up players competing for the title of "Most Pupular" in the Pupularity Playoffs. This PUPPY BOWL will be the biggest yet, featuring 131 puppies, 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories – including the all-time smallest pup, Sweetpea, at 1.7 lbs and the biggest, Levi the Great Dane at 70 lbs. Will Team Ruff or Team Fluff win the Lombarky trophy? You can watch this feel-good sports competition on Sunday, February 11 at 2P ET/11A PT on Animal Planet. Team Ruff - Betty Australian Cattle Dog / Poodle Team Fluff - Inez Australian Cattle Dog / Poodle Team Ruff - Rebekah
German Shepherd / Neapolitan Mastiff The best places and things to do in our area.By Amber Boissonneault
Being thankful for what we have, and giving back to those in need is important all-year round, and particularly during the holidays. We love our community and want to support our people and organizations in as many ways as we can, so join us in paying it forward with these local opportunities. Our Picks to Pay it Forward LUCKY DOG REFUGE: Spend time with a pup in need! Give back by volunteering or find your new best friend by fostering or adopting a rescue dog. 36 Pulaski Street, Stamford, CT KIDS IN CRISIS: Send supportive cards to staff and purchase items for the shelter program that ship direct to KIC by visiting their Amazon wishlist. 1 Salem Street, Cos Cob, CT NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR: Open for donations to support local families in need. Most requested items are sponges, cleaners, canned fruit, canned protein, pasta sauce & size 5/6 diapers. 248 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT GREENWICH UNITED WAY: Donate to Greenwich United Way's Early Education Scholarship program, providing access to childcare and preschool to families who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it. 500 West Putnam Avenue #415, Greenwich, CT THE BRUCE: Become a member of The Bruce and donate to their annual fund to continue the mission of connecting science, art, history, and community. 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT MEET THIS MONTH'S CURATOR Amber Boissonneault Amber Boissonneault benefits from a complex history of sales, fine art, and gardening, making her skilled in cultivation and persuasion. Before stepping aside from her career to raise her son, Amber worked for over a decade at a major pharmaceutical company. She then received her degree in Art Business and moved into sales for a boutique modern art gallery in New York City. Amber now lives in Greenwich with her husband and her son, Charlie. When she's not keeping them in line, she dedicates her time to several local charities...and, of course, her garden! STAMFORD — Lucky Dog Refuge and Mill River Park hosted their second annual “Luckypawlooza” fundraising festival, presented by Magna Construction on Saturday.
Proceeds from the event benefited Lucky Dog Refuge and improvements to Mill River Park’s dog park. The festival featured adoptable animals, live music, food trucks, beer garden, comedians, a kids zone, charities, local businesses, artisans, a lure course and competitions for dogs, and more. BY PJ KENNEDY AUGUST 29, 2023 Lucky Dog Refuge and Mill River Park will host their second annual “Luckypawlooza” fundraising festival, presented by Magna Construction on Oct. 14 in Stamford. Proceeds from the event will benefit Lucky Dog Refuge and improvements to Mill River Park’s dog park. Lucky Dog Refuge CT (36 Pulaski Street) is a Stamford-based rescue that has saved and adopted out over 800 dogs in the past 3 years. Most of these dogs were medical, neglect, and euthanasia cases; dogs who were once failed by humanity but are now living the dream in their forever homes. “Luckypawlooza” runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mill River Park (1050 Washington Boulevard) and will include a fun-filled festival for people of all ages. There will be adoptable animals, live music, food trucks, beer garden, comedians, a kids zone, charities, local businesses, artisans, a lure course and competitions for dogs, and more. Lucky Dog is also hosting a raffle to raise funds for more medical cases. For every $100 ticket, donors have a chance to win up to $20k (second prize $10k and third prize $5k) Supporters could win the prize and save dogs all at the same time. The drawing will be live at 4pm at Luckypawlooza on October 14. (Winners do not necessarily need to attend to be eligible)
For more information, tickets, and volunteer opportunities visit, www.luckydogrefuge.com. DARIEN — The Darien Pride Committee sponsored its second LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebration in Tilley Pond Park on Sunday.
Darien residents spent the afternoon enjoying food trucks, arts and crafts, puppy adoption and a drag performance by Darien High School graduate Boxa Crayonz. First Selectman Monica McNally delivered a proclamation officially declaring June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Darien. Written By Mollie Hersh Tappen, Moore play with dogs up for adoption in latest episode of YouTube show by David Satriano @davidsatriano / NHL.com Staff Writer The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Monday and what better way to celebrate than with some Stanley pups? More than a dozen puppies who are up for adoption were on hand at the NHL offices in New York on Wednesday and some even got screen time on "NHL Mash-Up," one of the League's newest shows. "Very early on when we first started the show, we were told we are going to have an episode with puppies," said Kathryn Tappen, who hosts "NHL Mash-Up" with former NHL player Dominic Moore. "We've been teasing it all season. It will certainly bring light to the shelters in the area and really throughout the country. I mean, these dogs today were from Mississippi, they're at Lucky Dog Refuge in Connecticut. They're local pups and they're available for adoption. And I think that's huge, especially this time of year in spring and summer when people want to get outside, what better way than with a new puppy?" "NHL Mash-Up," is a bi-weekly magazine show created by NHL Original Productions which airs on the League's YouTube Channel. Hosted by Tappen and Moore, the series showcases the week's best content across the League, including player features, mic'd up moments, uplifting stories and more. "Dogs and adorable animals are very popular on social media," Moore said. "And I think it's a good mix. Our show is all about social content and personality and dogs also have a way of bringing out the personality of the players and there's been other stuff done throughout the season as team's have been doing with dogs and other animals and it's really fun so we just thought we'd enjoy playing it up today with our dogs joining us in the studio." So how did the idea come about? Kirstin Mende, who founded Lucky Dog Refuge with her mother in 2020, had some NHL connections and put two of her passions together. "I worked in communications at the National Hockey League from 2010 to late 2013," Mende said. "I've stayed in touch with the National Hockey League family. A lot of my friends still work here. When I was working at the NHL, you know back in between 2010 and 2013, I kept saying we should have a dog do puck drop. How great would it be if we had a dog do the puck drop. And 10 years later, here we are with our dogs and the NHL is just doing such wonderful things embracing dogs and the need for rescue and finding them forever homes. And I'm just so happy that my two worlds have collided." Since 2020, over 700 dogs have been adopted from Lucky Dog Refuge in Connecticut, which focuses on finding homes for stray and sick or injured dogs. "One of our personal dogs was a medical case that everybody said just euthanize the dog because his injury was so severe and we gave him a chance and he is now perfectly healthy four or five years later, you would never know there was anything wrong," Mende said. "And so that really taught us that every single dog deserves that chance." Mende even used her hockey passion to name some of the puppies, including Twig, Biscuit, Mitts and Puck, among others. So far, no dogs have been named Aleksander Barkov, Barclay Goodrow, Jay Beagle or Lindy Ruff. "It's definitely a team effort," Mende said. "I got to use some of my favorite hockey lingo and give them to the different dogs based on their personalities. Otherwise, we collectively work together as a team (to name them) and we've adopted out 740 dogs since June of 2020 and we try not to duplicate names, so we're starting to get very creative with names because we've run through all your normal names. So now we're getting creative with "Chirp" and "Twig" and "Apple", and you know all those favorite names that we have the back of our mind, they eventually become a dog." Rescue City in New York City also had puppies on hand for the show. "They definitely trumped the Cup which is hard to do," Tappen said of filming the episode with the dogs. "I liked Hattie. I grew up with a black lab and she was black, and I have a black pet now. And she was sweet at the end and playing with us." Three of the puppies were even adopted by NHL staff members who couldn't help but fall in love with the adorable animals.
"There was a lot of chaos," Moore said. "Not from the dogs, but from the NHL. They were so excited to meet the dogs. When I showed up here this morning, there were like 35 people excited for the dogs. It was very fun." The fifth episode of "NHL Mash-Up" is now available on YouTube. "It got started with a phone call to both of us that the League was thinking of doing this and wanted to really bring light to all the social media content that each team does such a great job producing and put it all in one place so that everyone could see it and enjoy it," Tappen said. "Because there's so much out there and you end up missing some of it so the idea was just to have fun, come in relax, wear your jeans, wear sneakers, have fun out there with it. And it's really been fun." |