Two rescued Puerto Rican puppies played in the annual Puppy Bowl on Feb. 4. The yearly Superbowl-inspired game gets dozens of young pups to play a game of football in honor of the sporting event. The now adopted dogs, who go by Maddox and Murphy, were born in the care of The Sato Project — a Puerto-Rico based animal rescue group and flown to the U.S. shortly after Hurricane Maria.
One of the pups’ adoptive parents says she was thrilled to learn her new pet would be in the event for a good cause.
“We learned he would be in the Puppy Bowl shortly after we adopted him,” said Ashley Zink, mother of Maddox. “His participation is of course very important for awareness for the Sato Project, so we were more than happy to have him participate.”
The group has worked with Animal Planet for years on recruiting dogs to join the competition.
Zink, who also has another dog, says she decided to a adopt new pup back in October when she first learned about the group’s dedication to animals.
“I personally got to know The Sato Project team through a fund-raiser we held for them through my job,” she said. “I deeply admire their mission and how they go above and beyond to place dogs well the first time out to ensure a happy match for all.”
Both Maddox and Murphy played on opposing teams, Team Ruff and Team Fluff respectively, but Team Fluff would win the game.
As an avid Patriots fan, Zinks says even though both teams she rooted for lost, she is proud that a fun game exists to raise attention to adopting animals.
“It’s all for a good cause,” she said. “It was great to see him and the other dogs on the television screen, plus I know it is a big deal for awareness not only for the Sato Project, but for pet adoption in general — something I support in a big way.”
