Virginia Puppy Bowl players ranked by Dogwood

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The Puppy Bowl! Forget about the Super Bowl because this is the only sporting event that’s worth a “bark.”

Coming back for its 11th year, the Puppy Bowl has become a staple for many sports fans and not-so-sports fans alike.

Hosted by Discovery+, the Puppy Bowl takes puppies who are up for adoption, and gives them the ultimate platform in hopes of finding their forever homes.

The goal of this program is not only to entertain, but also to show that shelter dogs are just as cute as a purebred-designer-pup.

The game works much like football (with an adorable twist of course), where pups drag toys to one end of the field in hopes to score points. Of course, the puppies aren’t aware of the rules and just think it’s play time, which makes each year as unique and fun as the next.

Virginia is heavily represented this year, as 14 pups from Alexandria, Chesapeake, Meherrin, and Troy fight for glory.

While many of these cuties will already be adopted before they hit the green, there’s always a chance that some of the pups are still available. Here’s the list of Virginia players:

• Abigail (Labrador/Retriever mix)—Operation Paws for Home in Alexandria
• Blaze (Shih Tzu Poodle mix)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Captain (Pembrooke Welsh Corgi)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Demure (Cairn Terrier)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Gorby (French Bulldog)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Gumbo (Chinese Shar-Pei)—Shar Pei Rescue of Virginia in Chesapeake
• Hunter (Doberman Pinscher)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Mabel (Chinese Shar-Pei)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Mary (German Shorthaired Pointer/Bluetick Coonhound mix)—Southside SPCA in Meherrin
• Maya (Doberman Pinscher/American Staffordshire Terrier mix)—Operation Paws for Home in Alexandria
• Princess Sophia (French Bulldog)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Rain (West Highland White Terrier)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy
• Spike (Great Pyrenees/Labrador Retriever mix)—Southside SPCA in Meherrin
• Trevor (Border Collie)—Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy

For the complete list of pups, visit Discovery+’s website. But of course, there are many other animals up for adoption in the commonwealth. Need help finding a shelter near you? Virginia’s government website has a comprehensive list of every facility in our great state.

And if you’re curious about who I’m rooting for, here’s my official ranking (though they’re so adorable, it’s almost impossible to choose favorites!)

1. Trevor 
2. Spike
3. Abigail
4. Mary
5. Blaze
6. Gorby
7. Hunter
8. Captain
9. Demure
10. Mabel
11. Maya
12. Princess Sophia
13. Rain
14. Gumbo