Emma Shin, founder of the Rocky Mountain Puppy Rescue in Berthoud, is no stranger to playful dogs.
But when Animal Planet reached out to her organization to find a dog best suited for its 16th annual Puppy Bowl, she knew that then 13-week-old Australian cattle dog/cocker spaniel/Staffordshire terrier mix Aspen was the perfect pup for the job.
“She’s still a punk, she likes to play and she plays so hard, but she’s a good girl. She’ll grab things she’s not supposed to or she runs out of the house and she gets so excited,” Shin said about the high-energy pup. This nature of grabbing and going is ideal for football, and a skill she got to exercise well during her time on the field.
The Puppy Bowl pits two teams, Ruff and Fluff, against one another for the most “touchdowns” scored over the course of the two-hour game. Points are scored when one of the dogs takes a chew toy and brings it to either of the end zones, with penalties being issued for “premature watering,” “terrorizing the ref,” “dog-collar tackles” and other pun-based plays.
Playing for Team Ruff, Aspen will take the field with 96 other dogs (although only a fraction of them will be playing at one time) to compete for the Lombarky Trophy.
Her journey to the spotlight almost didn’t come to fruition, as executive producer Simon Morris had his eye on her sister Alpine, whose “satellite ears” and chocolate brown coloring were more suited to his aesthetic eye.
“We submitted the entire litter photographs to the producer and he actually picked three that wasn’t her,” Shin said. “and I said ‘I’m telling you I’ve had these dogs since they didn’t have their eyes open, and this one, Aspen, is the most outgoing. You gotta pick her.’ But they said no.”
But when Alpine was diagnosed with a (now cured) case of demodectic mange — a common, allergic-type reaction among young dogs — Shin was ready to show off the outgoing, energetic, social nature of the soon to be football star Aspen.
She is one of seven dogs selected for a biopic feature to be shown during the game, and as soon as she set foot on the trail for her “Pup Close and Personal” shoot, Morris and all involved knew they had made the right choice.
“As soon as they put her out on that trail she grabbed a pine cone, she grabbed a stick. She was 3 months old. She was only this big,” Shin said, gesturing to show how small the puppy was at the time. “She was a rock star. At the end of the shoot, Simon looks at me and he goes ‘you know your dogs.’”
The Puppy Bowl has been a pre-Super Bowl tradition for Animal Planet since 2005, when it started as a small event that placed puppies on a false football field and let them fight for toys without commentary or sponsorship. Today, the event is one of the largest adoption events in the nation, with 100% of the participants having been adopted, most before the final score is announced.
Team Ruff and Team Fluff took the field in New York City in mid-October for the pre-screened game that was shot over the course of two days. There, Aspen’s confident nature shone, as she was able to shine on the field despite the large crowds of people, loud atmosphere of a sound stage and bright lights of stardom.
While the Western-born pup adapted well to the big city life, she came from humble beginnings. She and her family were found in a dugout next to the train tracks in Gallup, New Mexico.
She, her mother and her seven littermates were transferred to the Rocky Mountain Puppy Rescue at one week of age, where each of their foster families helped them to grow big and strong before being adopted.
The remainder of her littermates have all found their forever homes, and Aspen will be available to do the same after the Puppy Bowl.
“I decided to keep her out (of the adoption events until after the airing). We went round and round with it, and we decided to keep her out until after the Super Bowl and after her segment airs because we’re going to do an airing party with our group, and I just wanted to be able to have her,” Shin said.
Ideally, she would like to adopt her out to a Colorado family, but knows that the demand will likely be high after the nation gets the chance to have a good look at Aspen.
The rescue currently does not have a centralized location. Instead, they place the dogs in various preapproved foster homes, and potential families are invited to see them at various adoption events. This enables the animals to be more closely trained and cared for, with more than 8,000 animals having being saved thus far.
When asked what she was most excited about for the airing of the show, Shin said, “Just more exposure to the amount of really cool dogs that can be found in a shelter.”
To see which team takes the title of Top Dog and to see rookie player Aspen take the field representing Colorado, tune in to Animal Planet before the Super Bowl.
If you watch
What: Puppy Bowl XVI.
When: 1 p.m. MT Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2.
Where: Animal Planet, check your local listings for channel information.
More info: animalplanet.com
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