Puppy Bowl 2024: date, dogs and everything we know about the pet-centric event

Puppy Bowl 2024 poster
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)

With the NFL playoffs underway, that means we are just a few weeks away from one of the biggest events of the year — the Puppy Bowl 2024.  

Puppy Bowl 2024, or Puppy Bowl XX, as the annual event celebrates its 20th anniversary, is an opportunity to celebrate adoptable dogs as well as the shelters and rescues that work to help these animals find their forever homes. To do this, the Puppy Bowl features more than 130 dogs playing on a faux football field with toys and each other, and maybe even occasionally score a touchdown.

Here is everything you need to know about Puppy Bowl 2024.

Puppy Bowl 2024 date

Puppy Bowl 2024 is set for February 11 at 2 pm ET/11 am PT, giving football fans something else to watch on Super Bowl Sunday.

There will be additional pre-game coverage for the Puppy Bowl starting at 1 pm ET/10 am PT. 

Puppy Bowl 2024 dogs

Puppy Bowl 2024 features 131 dogs from 73 shelters and 36 states. You can see them all in this gallery on the Discovery website. Among the pups this year will be the smallest puppy ever, Sweetpea at 1.7 pounds, to the largest ever, Levi the Great Dane at 70 pounds. There will also be six special needs puppies who are looking for their forever home.

You can also vote for your favorite pups right here, with new rounds beginning each Thursday.

Also, this year will see some dogs from past Puppy Bowls return to be inducted as the first-ever class of the Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame.

How to adopt Puppy Bowl 2024 dogs

Many of the dogs that are competing in the Puppy Bowl have wonderfully already found their forever homes. However, for those that haven't, the information on the shelters and rescues that they are from will be provided during the broadcast for interested viewers to check out. And even if the pup you have your eye on is already adopted, their shelters will have other dogs available for adoption, possibly including one of their siblings.

For more information, check out Discovery.com’s page on the Puppy Bowl.

Puppy Bowl 2024 hosts

While the stars of the Puppy Bowl are undoubtedly the pups, there are a few humans that will be a big part of the proceedings. Dan Schachner is returning to the Puppy Bowl for the 13th time as the referee.

Also part of the broadcast is country singer Miranda Lambert, who is going to introduce one of the Adoptable Pup segments during the game.

Other Puppy Bowl programming

There will be more than just the Puppy Bowl "game" for fans to enjoy, as Animal Planet and Discovery Plus have a number of programs related to Puppy Bowl 2024 on the docket.

Puppy Bowl Presents: 20 Years of Puppies, February 3, streaming on Max

Puppy Bowl Pregame Show, February 11, 1 pm ET/10 am PT
Get the scoop on all of this year's Puppy Bowl competitors from expert analysts. There will also be exclusives with both Team Ruff and Team Fluff. Airing on Animal Planet and streaming on Discovery Plus.

Pup Close and Personal segments
Segments that share the back stories of the participating dogs.

Arm & Hammer Slide Kitty Halftime Show

Stupid Pet Tricks sneak peek, February 11, 5 pm ET/2 pm PT
The new Sarah Silverman-hosted show will get a multi-network sneak peek on TBS, Discovery, truTV and Animal Planet immediately following the Puppy Bowl.

How to watch Puppy Bowl 2024

There are many options for US viewers to watch Puppy Bowl 2024, as the special event is airing on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS and truTV, as well as streaming on Max and Discovery Plus.

Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS and truTV are cable channels, so subscribers to traditional cable/satellite pay-TV services should check to see if the channel is available on their service or look for one that does carry it. 

Many of these channels are also available on live TV streaming services, though which services depends on the channel. Animal Planet is available on Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV; TBS, Discovery and truTV are available on Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

If you just have streaming services now, you can sign up for either Discovery Plus or Max and be able to watch Puppy Bowl 2024 live.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.