Bergen Shelter Pooches Playing in Animal Planet's Dog Bowl

OAKLAND, NJ – Four dogs from the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge are playing in Animal Planet’s 3rd annual Dog Bowl this year.

The competition, which airs on Super Bowl Weekend, is a football game featuring 65 adoptable pooches from animal shelters from across the country, all vying for the “Super Senior Award.”

Similar to the Puppy Bowl, two doggy teams will take to the field to play. The only difference? The players range in age from three to 14 years old.

Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge (RBARI) has four dogs who made the final roster for the one-hour, pre-taped special hosted by animal advocate Jill Rappaport.

RBARI Executive Director Megan Brinster said, “We are so honored to be part of this amazing event and to work with such an incredible partner in Animal Planet. This does so much good for older shelter dogs, who go from underdog to on-screen.”

Here are the dogs participating from RBARI, an Oakland-based no-kill shelter that serves northern New Jersey.

• Princess: an adorable senior who was surrendered to RBARI because her family no longer had time for her. She had not received any medical care in years and was suffering from chronic kidney disease, which now has been managed well with a special diet. Princess was also positive for Lyme disease and treated. She is now on medication and bounces around like a puppy feeling great!
• Luke: a gentle and sweet senior who was surrendered to a local shelter at the age of 12 when his owners could no longer care for him. He is a little timid at first but warms up quickly and gets along well in small dog playgroups.
• Summer: an adorable 11 year old Miniature Pinscher / Italian Greyhound mix. She was surrendered when her owners moved without her. Summer petite at just 15 pounds and is timid, but so sweet and playful.
• Gus’ previous owners surrendered him to an inner city animal control when they no longer had time or room in their lives for him. He is an adorable, sweet shih tzu who is obsessed with playing fetch and drops the ball at any feet he can find, then waits patiently for it to be thrown.

NJ.com reported that two dogs from another northern New Jersey rescue group, A Second Chance for Ziva, can also be seen in the Dog Bowl.

Dog Bowl III airs at 8 p.m. on Feb. 1 on Animal Planet, followed by Puppy Bowl XVI at 3 p.m. on Feb. 2.

Ramapo-Bergen will also be participating in the Puppy Bowl this year, according to Brinster. Some of the shelter’s kittens will be featured in the game’s half-time show.

“It’s two days of unmatched excitement for the dogs and cats at RBARI that you don’t want to miss,” she said.

In past years, 100% of the puppies and kittens that have taken part in both the Puppy Bowl and Dog Bowl have been adopted to families, according to RBARI.