[2] Shown each year on Super Bowl Sunday, the show consists of footage of a batch of puppies at play inside a model stadium,[3] with commentary on their actions.

[4] The program is designed to raise awareness about adopting pets from shelters and rescuing abandoned animals.

[9][10][11] A veterinarian is on site during the production of Puppy Bowl to ensure animal safety and well-being, and to administer any veterinary medical care which might be needed.

[4][13] In 2012, an American Humane Association representative was always on-site to ensure that puppies did not become too aggressive and injure one another.

[15] The 2013 show (shot at a television studio in west midtown in Manhattan) featured 63 puppies, with 10 on the field at one time.

[1] A total of 66 puppies were used for the show in 2014,[16] including a basset hound with a genetic defect to its paw.

A "bowl cam" provides shots upwards through the transparent bottom of a special water bowl built into the stadium floor, with a wide-angle lens that allows viewers to watch the puppies drink water (and walk through it) up close.

[1][16][9][10][11] He auditioned by submitting a tape showing him trying to organize a dog football game among unwitting dog-owners at a public park.

Unique "penalties" called may also include howling, illegal bathing (playing in the water bowl), napping on the field, premature watering of the lawn (urination),[1] "excessive fertilization" (defecation), "neutral bone infraction" (neutral zone infraction), and "ineligible retriever downfield" (ineligible receiver downfield).

Jessie Dinh, producer at Discovery Studios, explained the reason for the decrease: "We only did two hours this year so that we had the opportunity to include some other fun elements.

[35] In Puppy Bowl XVII, Team Ruff's incredible fourth quarter comeback gave them the win by a score of 73–69.

This features kittens playing for 30 minutes with lights, laser pointers, balls of yarn, a scratching post, flint sweepers, and a wide variety of other toys.

The grand finale of the Puppy Bowl II Half-Time Show was a confetti blast that sent most of the cats running away scared.

Shots of the puppies at play were green-screened into the windows to make it appear as if the "blimp" was actually hovering over the field.

[43] Also beginning in 2010, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) began sponsoring the Puppy Bowl.

[27] Two other new elements were added in 2012: a cockatiel named Meep "tweeted" about the game from the sidelines (using the Twitter social media network), and Jill Rappaport, a TV reporter and animal advocate, provided color commentary.

[27] The hamsters in the blimp and Meep the "tweeting" cockatiel were retained for the 2013 show, but the piglet cheerleaders were replaced by baby hedgehogs in tutus.

Additionally, the human "stars" of Animal Planet's reality TV shows were added in 2013 as commentators.

[43][50] Entertainment Weekly reporter James Hibbered commented on the changes by noting, "Animal Planet is simply embracing viral-video favorites and ratcheting up the sports-spoof silliness to a new level this year.

"[50] Animal Planet established a "Puppy Bowl Experience" at the Discovery Times Square exhibition space.

Throughout the program, however, the adoption journey of Rosie (now named Scout), a three-month-old Chihuahua/terrier mix, was followed from her arrival at the shelter to her life with her new family.

"Katty Furry", a cat depicted playing Katy Perry songs in YouTube videos, was the "half-time performer".

[9] Celebrities such as Andy Cohen, Whitney Cummings, and Reese Witherspoon appeared on the program to root for "their team", and an animated short featuring The Simpsons played during the show.

[18] A fantasy football draft was introduced to allow fans to pick the puppy they felt would score the most points.

[18][19] Turbo the tortoise[20] suffered a wardrobe malfunction (inspired by the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy) during the half-time entertainment.

[10] The 2017 Puppy Bowl XIII featured three special-needs dogs: Doobert, who is deaf; Lucky, who had her right front leg amputated; and Winston, who is both sight- and hearing-impaired.

[73] Puppy Bowl VI aired on February 7, 2010, and a record 1.1 million viewers watched the first broadcast alone.

This was the fourth year in a row that the Puppy Bowl's initial airing was the second most-watched program in the nation those demographic groups.

The Puppy Games included swimming, gymnastics, boxing, and soccer, and kittens were used for the "opening ceremony."

John Ramey and Mary Beth Smith, respectively, served as the play-by-play announcer and color commentator for the event.