Enthusiasts across the U.S. are gearing up for the spectacle of the season taking place this weekend. Of course, I’m talking about the Puppy Bowl, an event that promotes animal adoption by showing adoptable pups “playing” a football game inside a model stadium. Year after year, the Puppy Bowl, which airs on Animal Planet, highlights pet adoption by putting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations in the spotlight. (Coverage of this year’s Puppy Bowl begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 11, a few hours before that other big game.)
This year, one of the puppies our Animal Rescue Team saved from an alleged cruelty case is being featured. His name is Ollie.
Ollie was rescued by our team along with more than 100 other dogs from a breeding operation in May 2023. Conditions on the property were as filthy as they were bleak: Our responders reported seeing dogs wading into a murky green puddle to try to quench their thirst. Some dogs were severely emaciated and needed veterinary care for heartworm and other parasites. In-depth exams revealed BB gun pellets embedded in the skin of several dogs. Pregnant mother dogs and puppies ranging from days to weeks old roamed throughout the property. One of these puppies was Ollie.
Meredith Lee/The HSUS
Ollie, like many of the dogs found on the property, faced a long road to recovery. His limbs were severely bowed; he was eventually diagnosed with rickets, a rare and often painful disease in young animals that causes soft and deformed bones, commonly caused by dietary insufficiencies. Considering the conditions in which the dogs were living, it’s no surprise that Ollie struggled for basic nutrition. Following the rescue operation, the dogs were transferred to our shelter and rescue partners for placement into loving homes. Ollie went to Green Dogs Unleashed, a rescue based in Troy, Virginia.
Soon after being selected for the Puppy Bowl, Ollie found his true winning team: He was adopted by a loving family. Anne and her husband saw Ollie’s photo and immediately said, “It’s him. We need him.” Ollie’s transformation from homeless puppy to beloved family dog has been remarkable. Green Dogs Unleashed helped him heal from rickets. And now Ollie is happy and healthy, enjoying spending his days birdwatching with his feline brother. (Ollie has a particular affinity for stealing his brother’s cat toys.)
“He was on his way to having a very rough life,” Anne said. “We’re blessed that he was too young to really remember anything that happened there. He doesn't have any of the major trauma responses that other dogs have."
Ollie’s story of recovery is just one of many made possible by our Animal Rescue Team’s response to animals in crisis. Such work wouldn’t be possible without the relationships our Animal Rescue Team has built with law enforcement officers, who can call on our responders in times of need. On top of that, the dedication of our incredible network of shelter and rescue partners, like Green Dogs Unleashed, ensures that dogs pulled from the worst conditions have a fighting chance at finding love.
These happy endings, and the spotlight the Puppy Bowl puts on adoption and rescue, are critical as shelters and rescues across the country navigate an overpopulation crisis. Green Dogs Unleashed, and 72 other shelters and rescues across 36 states, have many deserving dogs from their adoption programs playing in the Puppy Bowl this year. Supporting these efforts any way you can, through adoption, fostering, volunteering or donating, is a game changer for animals and the people so dedicated to finding them homes.
Follow Kitty Block @HSUSKittyBlock.
