Puppy Bowl 2026 Breaks Records with Special-Needs Dogs

Puppy Bowl 2026 Sets a New Record for Inclusion

Before a single touchdown is scored, Puppy Bowl XXII is already making history. The beloved annual event will feature 15 dogs with special needs, the largest number ever to compete in the Puppy Bowl’s 22-year run. From deaf and blind pups to wheelchair users and three-legged players, the 2026 lineup puts inclusion, resilience, and adoption front and center.

More Puppies, More Purpose

Airing Sunday, February 8 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Puppy Bowl XXII, this year’s game will showcase 150 adoptable rescue dogs from 72 shelters across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. The event will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max, and discovery+, reaching millions of viewers with a simple message: every dog deserves a loving home.

Meet the Special-Needs All-Stars

The record-setting roster includes pups like Teigan, a wheelchair user from Connecticut; Wynonna, a three-legged dog from Kentucky; Paddy and Riley, both blind; and several deaf dogs such as Anson, Brûlée, and Dottie. Others manage medical conditions like diabetes or heart issues — yet all are ready to take the field and steal hearts.

Each dog represents not only athletic determination but the shelters and rescue organizations working tirelessly to give animals with disabilities a second chance.

Why It Matters

For more than two decades, the Puppy Bowl has doubled as entertainment and advocacy. By highlighting dogs with special needs in such a joyful, high-profile way, the event challenges lingering myths about adoptability and shows that these pups are just as playful, loving, and capable as any other.