‘Bark Purdy’: How a puppy from Sacramento SPCA made it to Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl XX

(FOX40.COM) — The 2024 Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet will have some local representation.

Bark Purdy, a chihuahua-mix puppy from the Sacramento SPCA, will be featured in this year’s edition of the event that will broadcast on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 11 at 11 a.m.

“He was growing in a foster home when the Puppy Bowl producers reached out to us and asked if we had any friendly outgoing puppies that wanted to apply for a spot,” Sacramento SPCA spokesperson Sarah Varanini told FOX40.com. “Bark was, from the get-go, super outgoing, very friendly, loved to play and we sent off his information and he was chosen.”

Bark Purdy, who is named after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, made his way to Sacramento SPCA through a transfer from an overcrowded shelter in Contra Costa County sometime in fall 2023.

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After he was chosen to participate in the Puppy Bowl, Bark Purdy took a trip to New York for the filming of the event in the fall.

According to Animal Planet, this year’s Puppy Bowl will feature 131 puppies, 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories. This year’s Puppy Bowl will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The annual event, shown every year on Super Bowl Sunday, mimics a football game with puppies playing inside a mini stadium. The event is designed to raise awareness for pet adoption and rescuing abandoned animals.

Like his namesake, Bark Purdy is hoping to take home a title on Sunday.

Bark Purdy has made his way to the final round of the Puppy Bowl’s “Most Pupular” bracket which is based on fan votes.

Voting for the final round ends on Thursday and the “Most Pupular” winner will be announced on Feb. 11.

“We were having fun in the beginning, we were like ‘Hey, vote for Bark,’ but now it’s getting pretty serious,” Varanini jokingly said. “Everyone at the shelter is taking it very seriously and we all remind each other to vote and it’s been really cool to see the community rally around this little puppy from Sacramento.”

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For those who object to voting for Bark Purdy due to them being anti-49ers or Chiefs fans, Varanini said the puppy officially has a new name.

“If you’re having a really hard time voting for Bark Purdy, just know his new name is Jack,” Varanini said.

The name Jack was given to him by his new owner, who adopted him shortly after the Puppy Bowl was filmed.

At the time, the Sacramento SPCA wasn’t allowed to talk about the puppy participating in the event. Discovery, which operates Animal Planet, didn’t announce the puppies in this year’s event until January.

When Bark Purdy’s adopter visited the shelter, Varanini said he fell in love with his picture and was looking to adopt after losing his chihuahua which looked similar to the puppy.

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“We told him as a surprise ‘By the way this little puppy is going to be on TV in a couple of months,’” Varanini said. “He was sort of like ‘Oh, that’s great. I’m just happy that I found my new best friend.’”

To celebrate Bark Purdy’s Puppy Bowl appearance, the Sacramento SPCA is hosting an adoption special on Friday and Saturday. 

The shelter on 6201 Florin Perkins Road in Sacramento is doing $20 dog adoptions for those who wear gear representing their favorite football team. Attire doesn’t need to be affiliated with the 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs — this year’s Super Bowl teams.

Potential adopters could also meet Bark Purdy at the shelter from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

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