Video: Go Behind the Scenes of Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl!
Puppy Bowl IX
Sunday marks one of the greatest annual sports events: the Puppy Bowl!
In its ninth year, Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl features about 10 dogs on the field at a time as they sniff, play, and let's be honest, pee, with the ultimate goal of carrying the football into the end zone.
Who are the greatest TV pets?
"It looks deceptively simple, but there's a huge production team behind it," executive producer Melinda Toporoff told TVGuide.com. "We have almost 72 hours of footage to go through and cull it down to almost two hours. We craft a story around the players that seem to, whether they realize it or not, make a touchdown or if they seem active or are crazy cute. There are about 60 puppies that participate in four different batches."
Check out celebs with their pets
Some of this year's new twists include slow-motion replays with the "Cute Cam," more snout-to-lens shots and the puppy hot tub, where puppy players can cool down after tearing up the field. Fan favorites, like the Water Bowl Cam, tailgating fans and the hamster-steered blimp, will also return, along with the Bissel Kitten Halftime Show.
Watch our behind-the-scenes video for more puppy cuteness!
Puppy Bowl airs on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Animal Planet.