PetSugar

Interview With the Referee of Puppy Bowl VII (Part II)

PetSugar — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:00:00 PST

The Puppy Bowl is this Sunday, and Ref. Andrew is back as the game's referee! We were lucky enough to talk to him last year, so to get pumped up for the game, check out part two of our interview with Ref. Andrew. We already learned a bit of background on the pups and the referee in Part I, now let's hear more about the action, including last year's "streaker" (!) on the field, in the interview below.

PetSugar: What do you say to yourself when you get up that morning?
Ref. Andrew: I look myself in the mirror for a long time, in the eye, and I say: 'This is your calling, this is what you're meant to do.' It's what I'm born into, my destiny.

PS: Do you have any secret weapons on hand in case things get a little hairy?
RA: Just experience and I consult the Puppy Bowl referee guidebook. I like to keep a little peanut butter behind the ears sometimes, but otherwise it's just my strong bond with the dogs and they know who's boss when I'm out there.

PS: How many pups play at a time?
RA: There are 10 to 12 dogs out there but we do have substitutions. You'll see that on the field, if a puppy's acting up and has too many penalties or is being a dirty dog, I have to eject him from the game. We give everyone a fair shot and I tell you, the puppies we have this year are some of the cutest but also you'll see there's so much action, touchdowns being scored, tackles, it's an exciting year for Puppy Bowl.

PS: Which penalty do you see most and how do you keep order?
RA: There's two: The first is unnecessary ruffness (r-u-f-f, of course) and then the other one is a personal foul. As you can imagine, there are a lot of foul things on that field with puppies. But I throw my yellow flag on it - it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it.

Learn about the special guest performer before Puppy Bowl, kitty halftime, and last year's "streaker" (!) when you

PS: Is there anything surprising lined up?
RA: We're bringing out all the stops this year. But, even though we try to keep the show G-rated (and, as the ref, I try to obviously keep control of the game), one of the puppies got extra frisky. He went down into its birthday suit and we have a streaker, a Chinese Crested. I don't know what he was trying to prove but once I saw it on the field, I chased it around, covered it up and I made sure we retained order on the field.

PS: You've convinced me, but can you sum up why our readers should tune in?
RA: Well, we clear out the puppies to set up the halftime show. We bring in the kittens and it's 15 minutes of adorableness so, if you're not a puppy person (which I can't imagine you not being), then you have a chance to see these cute little kittens doing their thing. And if you're not a dog person or a cat person, you have Pepper the parrot singing the most beautiful rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" that you'll ever hear - it'll bring a tear to your eye, you'll see. Also this year, if you've missed Puppy Bowls I-IV, if you're living under a rock, this one is celebrating the fifth anniversary with Hall of Fame moments from the first four. So that's even more reason to watch because you can see the best, cutest, friskiest moments form the first four all in one amazing sitting.

Source

Interview With the Referee of Puppy Bowl VII (Part I)

PetSugar — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:06:44 PST

The Puppy Bowl is this Sunday, and Ref. Andrew is back as the game's referee! We were lucky enough to talk to him last year, so to get pumped up for the game, check out our interview with Ref. Andrew, who had tons to say about what he describes as "puppies pretending to play football in a miniature football stadium with 'Puppy Penalties,' 'Fido First Downs,' and 'Terrier Tackles' - it's the cutest two hours of television you could ever ask for."

We agree and will absolutely tune into Animal Planet on Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. EST to the action on the gridiron. Find out what it's like behind the scenes and start the first of our two-part interview below.

PetSugar: How did you get this job?
Ref. Andrew: I'd say that it's very similar to American Idol where they fill arenas with potential hopefuls that want to be the ref . . . but, in reality, I was already working for Animal Planet. I like to think I was born into the position. Some people are teachers, some people are firemen, and I referee adorable little puppies pretending to play football - it was meant to be.

PS: What's your practice like in the off-season?
RA: It's a strict regimen. I mostly eat carbohydrates and sugars to stay fueled and I train in dog parks with big dogs so that I'm ready for the little ones. I've got a really strict exercise regimen as well - gotta be in tip-top shape for the puppies.

Learn more about the "athletes" themselves when you

PS: How many players are there?
RA: All together there are 38 dogs. This year they're all shelter puppies and they've actually all been adopted by the time you see the show on air. That's really the message behind Puppy Bowl and why we're so excited about it: Puppies need to be adopted as well as adults – big dogs, medium-sized dogs, there is a dog out there for everyone.

PS: Do you spend time with the pups beforehand?
RA: I get to meet all the athletes before the game and I give them a little pep talk. I tell them I want a clean game in advance: 'Listen, I'm glad you're here but we need a clean game and I need some order on the field.' And I think they appreciate that.

PS: Where do they come from?
RA:The show's filmed in Silver Spring, MD, (which is right outside Washington, DC) and we use regional shelters like the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, Furry Friends Network - there are so many animals out there that need to be adopted in local shelters, and Petfinder's always a big help in getting us dogs. These are all adopted, which is awesome, but go on Petfinder.com and see all the different ways you can adopt and see puppies and dogs available at shelters near you.

PS: I'm excited for Puppy Bowl V – what was your most memorable moment from last year?
RA: I don't remember the exact name of the dog, it might have been Abigail, a Jack Russell. So, of course, I have to throw my flag for penalties. What happened was I threw my flag and I looked down to retrieve my flag and it's gone - Abigail's running around the field with my flag. So here I am chasing after her, in front of the cameras, and I want to show who's in charge here. It was tough but I got my flag back but not without some excitement before then.

Source

The AKC/Eukanuba National Champion Is...

PetSugar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:30:24 PST

Do you recognize this furry face? It's Sadie, the Scottie that won the 2009 National Dog Show on Thanksgiving. As it turns out, this terrier also captured Best in Show at the AKC/Eukanuba Dog Show that aired on Animal Planet on Feb. 6, making her the latest champion.

As she's quite the favorite already, many believe she'll go on to capture the big win at Westminster next week as well. After all, she was a group finalist in 2009 - remember her lil piddle here - so she's surely one to watch.

Learn which other pups rounded out the semifinalists (There was a smooshy!) and see one more picture of Sadie when you

.

Best in Show Finalists and Group Winners

Sporting: Irish Setter (Emily)
Terrier: Scottish Terrier (Sadie)
Hound: Greyhound (Era)
Working: Boxer (Bosco)
Toy: Toy Poodle (Walker)
Non-sporting: Standard Poodle (Jetta)
Herding: Rough Collie (Sax)
Miscellaneous: Xoloitzcuintli (Tenango)

Source: Animal Planet

Super-Cute Video Alert: Canine Coxswain Steers Raft

PetSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:30:30 PDT

This dog has definitely not gone off the deep end; in fact, he seems rather hesitant to even puppy paddle in the shallow looking water. However, what's a brainy pet to do when there's a ball in the horizon?

The water looks pretty dingy so I can't say I blame him for this problem-solving technique - way to make a figurative splash while (not) making a literal one, smarty pooch!

Très Bizarre: Wolfman Teaches Wolf Pup How to Howl

TresSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:15:00 PDT

British wolf expert Shaun Ellis is on a mission - to promote understanding of wolves and to reintegrate wolf populations around the world. He’s literally run with the wolves for years, sleeping, eating, and living with them and even being the leader of a pack. His “human love” Helen Jeffs is now trying to live with him and his feral, furry friends, too.

In Living With the Wolfman, the new Animal Planet series, Shaun helps Helen learn to “growl, bark, and bite her way to authority” among the wolves. Watch wolfy-looking Shaun teach a wolf cub how to howl. Bizarre - and amazing.

Guess What Breed Super Quiz: The Groomer Has It Finale!

PetSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT

If you missed Saturday's season finale of Groomer Has It (season two), the big winner was Huber! Sap that I am, I totally teared up at his acceptance speech where he thanked his grandfather. If you watched the show, or consider yourself a doggone expert, see if you can identify the six "rare breeds" that he and Lisa groomed for their final challenge.

Question 1 of 6

Guess what breed?

Who Did You Want to Win Groomer Has It Season Two?

PetSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:00:14 PDT

The Night's Brandon McMillan Sheds Light on His Wild Side

PetSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:20 PDT

Move over Travis from Greatest American Dog! There's a new handsome animal-loving fella on during primetime. Brandon McMillan, 31-year-old animal trainer and host of Animal Planet's The Night, is a nature lover's dreamboat. He has no formal training himself, but he's trained lions, bears, tigers and reptiles for flicks like The Jungle Book II, I Am Sam and TV shows 24 and Jackass.

His current show, The Night, which premiered last month and airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m., is a dark look at what happens in the wild when the rest of us are cozied up in bed. Brandon goes on expeditions around the world to catch rare animal behaviors at night on camera. He recently chatted with OK!:

On his unusual job: When girls ask me what I do and I say I'm a wild animal trainer, they think I'm lying. I was telling a story in a bar and the bartender thought I was drunk and kicked me out.

On dangerous dates: My perfect date would be sitting in a Land Rover in Africa with a bottle of wine and some snacks...watching a lion kill.

On being fearless: I've had lions, snakes, leopards and buffalo come at me. I've been bitten, but I've never truly been attacked. Ninety-nine point nine percent of people who are attacked don't live to tell the tale.

View 5 Photos ›

For a video preview of Brandon scoping out a mama hippo on the show,

Photos courtesy of Animal Planet

Brush Up on Your Grooming Terminology

PetSugar — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:00:46 PDT

Can you believe last night's episode?! I'll be sharing my take – and asking for your opinion – tomorrow but 'til then, let's brush up (ha ha) on the terms we learned last year as we tune in each week for Season Two.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Season Two! Meet the Groomer Has It Contestants

PetSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:05:28 PDT

If last year was telling at all, I'm excited to tune in and watch these groomers grow (and animals' hair . . . do the opposite) for season two of Groomer Has It. All joking aside, even if you missed the first episode over the weekend, check out this round's contestants so you'll be able to follow my weekly recaps of the new series airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. E/P on Animal Planet.