Community Corner
Ridgefield Dog To Compete In Puppy Bowl XVIII
Sky, part Australian cattle dog, part golden retriever, and all adorbs, will be representing Ridgefield in Puppy Bowl XVIII airing Sunday.
RIDGEFIELD, CT — A dog from a Ridgefield shelter will be hitting the Big Time, this Sunday.
Sky, an Australian cattle dog/golden retriever mix saved by Ridgefield Operation Animal Rescue, will be among 118 dogs from 67 shelters across the country "competing" in Puppy Bowl XVIII, airing Sunday on Animal Planet at 2 p.m. and steaming on Discovery+.
Producers describe it as a "fur-tastic battle on the grand gridiron of Puppy Bowl Stadium ... the pinnacle of competition, cuteness and pet rescue."
But Ridgefield resident Liz Bergren calls it "...a great opportunity to show how you don't have to go and get a purebred from a breeder, you don't have to go to a pet store."
Bergren has been a ROAR volunteer since last summer. When the rescue took in Sky and her two littermates, she took the puppy home to foster. Bergeron failed miserably: after a couple of weeks, she realized there was no giving the pooch up.
Such "foster fails" are a common occurrence with ROAR's rescues as the organization makes an extraordinary effort to acclimate the pets to their new lives, Bergren said. The rescued dogs socialize in ROAR's huge backyard, and receive leash training and learn rudimentary commands from the organization's 150 volunteers.
ROAR had two puppies in the Puppy Bowl last year, but neither was in the starting line-up. Sky, however, made the "A" list for Puppy Bowl XVIII, and will be starting for "Team Fluff."
Sky's a good tackler, Bergren explained, but also knows how to pick her spots. "She's really gentle around children, and very calm around cats and small animals. It's almost like she knows she can play rough with just certain dogs."
But Animal Planet does not select Puppy Bowl teams based upon their athletic prowess or how well they read the defense. According to Donna Donigi Gale, who sits on ROAR's board of directors, there is just one criterion the network looks for — and it's a doozy.
Contestants must be "absolutely the cutest animals on the face of the earth."
Sky, clearly, had no trouble meeting those qualifications.
Calling it a "a boon for rescue operations across the country," Gale likened Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl to last month's high-profile Betty White Challenge, which raised $12.7 million for animal shelters.
"These animals are our humanity," she said.
