Dogs from Virginia-Based Rescue Group in 2013 Puppy Bowl

A few puppies from Virginia's Bonnie Blue Rescue will be in the national spotlight this weekend, appearing in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl IX.

The annual event is a popular Super Bowl day show on Animal Planet featuring puppies "playing football," a kitten half-time show, hedgehog cheerleaders and more.

The 2013 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl will be at 3 p.m. Sunday on Animal Planet.

The Super Bowl is this Sunday, Feb. 3. The Baltimore Ravens are playing the San Francisco 49ers.

Bonnie Blue Rescue is based in Richmond, but places animals up and down the East Coast, said Bonnie Blue Rescue Vice President Patricia Rector.

The organization has hubs in Alabama and Connecticut in addition to their Virginia base. Volunteers for Bonnie Blue rescued 387 dogs in 2012, mostly from high-kill rate shelters.

The organization is entirely run by volunteers.

“It’s bringing attention to us and our dogs, and it’s just been a really great thing for us,” Rector said. 

The Bonnie Blue Rescue puppies who will be on television this weekend tackling each other include:

• Althea, an Australian Shepherd/Catahoula mix
• Chestnut, a Labrador Retriever/Austraian Shepherd mix (see video of Chestnut in the media player above)
• Pearl, an Australian Catahoula/Labrador Retriever mix
• Shadow, a Catahoula/Labrador Retriever

All four of those dogs have already been spoken for (Chestnut will be living with an Animal Planet cameraman), but Bonnie Blue Rescue has dozens of other cute pups available now.

You can see the full 2013 Animal Planet Puppy Bowl XI starting line-up here.

Looking for a Pet?

Bonnie Blue Rescue has 20 - 30 dogs available for adoption at any given time. Check the Bonnue Blue Rescue site to see the available dogs. (Note: If the dog you want is in Connecticut, Alabama or elsewhere, Bonnie Blue will bring the dog to you.)

In addition, Patch features pets every week on Patch sites statewide from Mutts Matters rescue. 

And, of course, plenty of cute dogs, cats, rabbits and a variety of other pets are always available at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, 4500 West Ox Road. More info about the Fairfax County Animal Shelter is available here.