MUSKEGON, Mich. — A rescue pup from West Michigan will be on the big screen this Sunday.
In this year's Puppy Bowl, she's the only dog being featured from Michigan, alongside 130 others coming from 35 states and territories.
Dolly Barkon is the nearly six-month-old beagle mix who will capture the hearts of many this Sunday. She was drafted to "Team Fluff" to play in Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl.
"Getting our own in there is incredible, a spotlight on Michigan, Muskegon, our shelter, but mostly shelter pets," said Big Lake Humane Society Executive Director Alexis Robertson.
Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl returns this Sunday, February 11 for its 20th year, highlighting 73 shelters and rescues across the country.
This one is the biggest yet, featuring 131 pups including Dolly from Muskegon's Big Lake Humane Society.
"She came to us around five weeks old. She went into the puppy bowl about 13 weeks old or so," said Robertson. "She got to fly to New York. She spent five days filming and playing in the big bowl," she said.
It's a big jump from her beginning weeks of life.
"Miss Dolly Barkon here was found as a stray in our community. She was all by herself. She was just two pounds. She was found behind someone’s shed," said Robertson.
Dolly was put in a foster home, which is where she was discovered. One of her foster mom's friends, who works with the Puppy Bowl, fell in love with her. She was drafted shortly after and went to New York to film in October.
The shelter's manager helped get her ready for her big moment, training her with other shelter dogs and football-related toys, making sure she was well-prepared for the day of filming.
"The things that they look for in the puppy bowl — are they interactive with the toys, are they running for the touchdowns, are they playing with the other dogs to make that commentary like they do with the puppy bowl? Things like roughhousing, touchdown, first down, those are things they’ve got to do," said Big Lake Humane Society Shelter Manager Velvet Lyght.
Dolly did just that. She made the cut to take to the gridiron on "Team Fluff" against "Team Ruff" for a chance of winning the "Lombarky Trophy".
"She stayed a few days there and was just on set. Everybody just has fun. It is a really cool event, and you can tell that everyone who is involved is very passionate about animals and animal welfare in general," said Robertson.
Despite who wins, the shelter says they're just happy to be a part of the game, raising awareness and offering support for shelter pets —showing America there is a pup for everyone in the shelter.
"Having a national spotlight like this on such an important day is not just exciting for the dogs playing and the organizations involved but for rescue as a whole, for animals as a whole that need homes," said Robertson.
"Maybe because they came from a shelter they’ll just be that much better and be that much more grateful to be your companion and be in a home with you," said Lyght.
If you'd like to meet Dolly or other pups up for adoption, Big Lake Humane Society will be hosting a "tail-gate" on Sunday during the Puppy Bowl. It begins at noon at The Dirty Dog, with the game starting at 2 p.m. and will be wrapped up before the Super Bowl.
