Puppy Bowl XIII Roster Includes Glen Burnie Rescue Dog

GLEN BURNIE, MD — Some people will watch Super Bowl LI for the gridiron battle between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, while some will tune in for the commercials or Lady Gaga’s halftime show. If none of those does it for you, tune in for the puppies.

Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl XIII will pit Team Ruff against Team Fluff’s adoptable players in a battle for the inaugural Petco Lombarky trophy on Sunday, Feb. 5. One of the Team Ruff players is King, a Miniature Pinscher-Shih Tzu formerly named Striker, according to Animal Planet's website. All of the dogs taking part in Puppy Bowl are rescue animals.

Striker and his siblings were born in the parking lot of a bowling alley near rural Scott County, Virginia. From bleak beginnings, Striker now lives in a fun-loving home with a human sister who adores him. There were seven puppies in the litter, all with bowling alley themed names.

Striker and his siblings were fostered by Tracy McMenamy who lives in Parsonsburg, Maryland. She approved Striker's adoption to his permanent home.

Animal Planet worked with 34 different animal shelters and rescue organizations from 22 states to select the 78 adoptable players, according to a news release.

King is one of four dogs from Operation Paws for Homes animal shelter based in Virginia, says the Capital-Gazette.

At 3 p.m. ET, Puppy Bowl XIII kicks off and repeats all day and night for a total of 10 hours on game day.

Fans can find more at AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowl, view the roster of starting pups, watch the live Puppy Bowl Locker Room Cam and Kitten Fan Club Cam, and learn more about how they can help an animal find its forever home.

Locally, the Operation Paws for Homes Puppy Bowl will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel. Fans can join the rescue group in the taproom before the big game to watch some slightly smaller players in the cutest match up. Portion of sales will be donated to OPH.

Owners are welcome to bring their dogs to the party, but they must be on a leash while in the taproom.

The brewery is located at 9445 Washington Blvd N. in Laurel.

»PHOTOS: King, a Miniature Pinscher-Shih Tzu breed formerly named Striker, will compete on Team Ruff in Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday. (Keith Barraclough / Animal Planet/Keith Barraclough)