Best Friends Animal Society & Puppy Bowl XXII Join Forces to Help Send Pets Home

Score a New Teammate with Fee-Waived Pet Adoptions at Best Friends Locations Nationwide February 2-9
Adoption fees covered February 2-9 thanks to Puppy Bowl XXII
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Best Friends PR Team prteam@bestfriends.org

Huddle up, it’s almost time for the cutest showdown in sports! Puppy Bowl XXII is quickly approaching on Sunday, February 8, when Team Ruff and Team Fluff will take the field for good-natured tackles, plenty of potty breaks, the occasional nap, and a shot at glory.  

For pets in shelters, there’s nothing more glorious than a loving family. That’s why for the third year in a row, Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization dedicating to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill*, is teaming up with Warner Bros. Discovery to help get pets out of shelters and into loving homes where they belong. From February 2-9, Puppy Bowl XXII will cover all pet adoption fees at Best Friends locations in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Northwest Arkansas, and Salt Lake City, as well as the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.   

“This collaboration, now in its third year, has led to loving homes for thousands of pets, and we look forward to many more this February,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “For those tuning into Puppy Bowl XXII and wishing they had their very own cuddly MVP by their side, we encourage you to visit your local shelter or rescue group. Make adoption your only option so that together we can save every healthy, treatable pet.”  

Best Friends is especially excited to be represented in this year’s Puppy Bowl by Bianca, who hails from the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City. Bianca came to Best Friends from Fulton County Animal Services in Georgia. She and her littermates had a tough start in life, but this resilient puppy defied the odds and made it to the big leagues when selected for Puppy Bowl XXII. Shortly after getting drafted for the big game, Bianca was adopted and now lives nearby in New Jersey. 

Like Bianca and her fellow furry athletes, there are thousands of pets in U.S. shelters and rescue groups waiting for loving homes. According to Best Friends Animal Society’s data, approximately seven million people will bring home a new pet in the coming year, and if just six percent more of them chose to adopt rather than purchase from a breeder or pet store, we could end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters.  

To learn more about how to save a life by bringing home a new best friend this Puppy Bowl season, visit bestfriends.org/puppybowl.  

Puppy Bowl, the original and longest running call-to-adoption television event, returns for its 22nd year on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 2:00PM ET/11:00AM PT and will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and discovery+.  Audiences can join the conversation on social media with #PuppyBowl, and by following Animal Planet on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as Puppy Bowl on Facebook for more updates. For more information on the participating pups and to view the full photo gallery, please visit PuppyBowl.com.    

*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols. 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,500 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.