Puppy Bowl Prep with Ref Dan Schachner 🐶
LISTEN HERE
The Ten News Season 3: Episode 33
🐶 Get ready for the dog-gone cutest sporting event, Puppy Bowl XIX, on February 12th 🏈 Fun facts for football fans as we head into Superbowl LVII 🐾 Puppy Bowl Referee, Dan Schachner gives the inside scoop about this paw-some competition 🐆 Trivia with Tessa: do you know which dog breed can beat a cheetah in a race?
Links
https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/puppy-bowl-xix-announcement
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/4/14480722/puppy-bowl-explained
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/10-amazing-facts-about-dogs
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TRANSCRIPT:
Ryan Willard 0:04
On the road to victory!
Pamela Kirkland 0:07
Hey Ryan, are you thinking about the Super Bowl?
Ryan Willard 0:10
Fly, puppies, fly. I'm thinking about the Puppy Bowl!
Pamela Kirkland 0:18
You brought puppies to the studio?
Ryan Willard 0:21
Yep. I'm gonna train these cute pups to be the next Puppy Bowl stars. Just as soon as they stop licking my face, Miss Waffles sit, and Mr. Rooney, get off my desk.
Pamela Kirkland 0:33
I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 0:34
And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Wednesday, February 8th.
Pamela Kirkland 0:37
This is The Ten News.
Sound Bit 0:41
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Pamela Kirkland 0:49
The dog-gone cutest, cuddliest sporting event airs February 12th, Puppy Bowl XIX.
Ryan Willard 0:58
Adoptable shelter pups from across the nation meet to compete for the, not Lombardi Trophy, which is what you win in the Super Bowl, but the Lombarkey Trophy.
Pamela Kirkland 1:08
Over two hours, 122 puppies from 67 shelters and animal rescues will compete by taking toys into the endzone just like a real football game but with way more tail wagging.
Ryan Willard 1:24
The Puppy Bowl celebrates the hard work of shelter staff and animal rescue employees and volunteers. But did you know the Puppy Bowl started as a joke?
Pamela Kirkland 1:32
That's right in 2005 Animal Planet held the first Puppy Bowl on the same day as the Super Bowl because they didn't think any show could ever compete with America's biggest human sporting event.
Ryan Willard 1:46
Nowadays, the two-hour broadcast includes a pregame event, a kittie halftime show, and a cheer squad. It's such a big event that they actually can't do it live.
Pamela Kirkland 1:55
In fact, the Puppy Bowl is filmed over two whole days in October. That means that many of the pups you'll see in the puppy bowl are already adopted. But if you and your family see a pup you'd like to adopt, organizers say reach out to the shelter because your favorite puppy bowl competitor probably has some brothers or sisters who also need homes.
Ryan Willard 2:21
You'll also see pups with special needs, and senior dogs, and hear heartwarming adoption stories from past Puppy Bowls.
Pamela Kirkland 2:27
And the audience gets to pick the game's MVP, Most Valuable Pup. Bracket voting has already started in the popularity playoffs.
Ryan Willard 2:38
All that's left to do is to tune into Animal Planet and Discovery+ at 2 pm eastern / 11 am pacific on Sunday, February 12th to see which pups, Team Ruff or Team Fluff, win big.
Pamela Kirkland 2:49
Oh, don't forget your team, Ryan. Team Puff.
Ryan Willard 2:53
Oh, they're training for next year. Speaking of which, I gotta go teach them how to score field goals. Come on, Mochi. Let's go, Tebow. Welcome to the halftime segment of our puppy bowl episode. Yes, the puppy bowl is coming up and we are insanely excited about it. But the Super Bowl is also coming up and I'm also pretty hyped. The Kansas City Chiefs won their last Super Bowl in 2020 and will be going up against the Philadelphia Eagles who won their last Super Bowl in 2017. A random fun fact for Eagles fans. In 2017 the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals, the Houston Astros won the World Series, and the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Awesome. And in 2022 The Warriors once again won the NBA finals and the Houston Astros also won the World Series, so does this mean the Eagles are destined to win as well? Not so fast. Kansas City could win the Super Bowl. They have the same head coach-quarterback combination they had when they won in 2020. The Chiefs also have one of the best postseason pass catchers in NFL history tight end Travis Kelce. If you want to find out who wins you can catch the Super Bowl on February 12th on Fox. Ten'ers, we want to know who you're rooting for. Did your team make it to the Super Bowl or are you hoping for better luck next year? Call 877-TEN-NEWS and leave us a message.
Pamela Kirkland 4:22
Now, back to the puppy bowl. The puppy bowl is the barking-est event on TV. We wanted to know what it's like to wrangle 100 puppies, so I sat down with puppy bowl referee Dan Schachner to get the inside scoop. Dan, I understand you've been doing this for quite a while now. Tell me about how you ended up with the world's best job.
Dan Schachner 4:48
That is what I've slowly come to realize that it is really a dream job. Animal Planet knew me as a host. This is how I've been trained always loved dogs, but also, no joke, I've always loved sports. And so my initial work as a host or you know, working was simply in doing a job that has no job description other than your reffing dogs, right? So, it was amazing. And it was only and I don't say this, that I'm amazing. I'm saying this because it was amazing in the sense that it was so unique, with no job description, no blueprint for the whole thing. So I went ahead, and I was like, Alright, let's go ahead and make the most of this.
Pamela Kirkland 5:30
I love that. And as much as we love watching, you know, the doggos, go at it, for the grid, iron gold. I love that, you know, the mission is the adoption portion of it, that it's getting these dogs out there so that they can hopefully find their forever homes. And I just wonder why that is so important to you that it's not just you know, for the fun of watching the dogs kind of go at it and the joy that brings us, but also about the adoption portion.
Dan Schachner 6:01
I'm going to tell you why, because no joke, I am the audience that we are trying to come I was the audience that puppy bowl is aiming for. I was a person who didn't know much about animal adoption. And I understood animals could be adopted, or they could be bought from a breeder or a pet store or something like that. But I didn't quite you know, I knew there were options to getting a dog, of course, we grew up with dogs, and didn't really think about where they came from, right? And being aware of where they came from, what organization was behind them, and if it was a reputable organization, suddenly became very important. We're starting to get our arms around it, but no matter how much you do, there are still more dogs up for adoption available than there are homes to put them in. Technically, it's not true. The stat is and this is a proven stat. If every home in America were to not even adopt, but temporarily foster, right? I'm a big proponent of fostering, which is that little stepping stone between the two, we would clear the shelters. Now we don't need every home in America to do that. We just need a few more to solve the problem. But I guess that is why it matters so much to me, is that coming into this job, I was like yeah, different ways to get a dog no problem. Once I took on this role, once I learned these puppies, backstories this one was abandoned in Kentucky and found on the side of the road, but rescued, you know, by a wonderful organization. This one was part of a litter that was surrendered to a shelter because the family didn't know the mom was pregnant. You know, like every dog comes, from a story, and when you hear all these stories from across the country. This year, again, I'm jumping ahead, but it's an important message I don't want to lose. We have 11 Special Needs dogs from again across the country. Again, years ago, people wouldn't have thought of adopting a special needs dog, I certainly wouldn't have, we again we foster. I was grateful enough to foster a special needs dog two years ago. It is one of the most incredible experiences you can imagine, so fulfilling. You just know how grateful they are. And watching these guys on puppy bowl, we have Joey who's in a wheelchair because his front leg he was born without front legs. And he's got two little wheels instead of front legs and to see him zip across the stage with a football in his mouth is incredible. We've got Marmalade this year who is sight and hearing impaired. And yes, their safety is always at the top of our list. So we have handlers on there to make sure that they're safe. But to see this dog play with the footballs the same way the other dogs do. So the message we're trying to get across is that like any dog out there in a shelter, there's just keep an open mind there is more than likely a potential match for you out there. So again, I was a converted audience member, right? I became not just I started off as a fan and I became a total convert.
Pamela Kirkland 9:06
I can't wait to see Marmalade in action. I like to think of those as the extra special players because you know, they give extra love, I think. Do you have any favorite competitors from years past or that you're looking forward to watching again?
Dan Schachner 9:23
Pamela you know, I'm an official of this game. It would be unconscionable for me to pick a favorite. However, I am partial this year to any special needs dog like I mentioned, because I know that they've had to struggle a little bit harder than the other dogs that are on the field.
Pamela Kirkland 9:37
So, I heard a rumor that the handlers maybe help encourage the puppies to participate with some treats Is that true?
Dan Schachner 9:47
Yeah, yeah, I'm here to confirm the rumor. Okay. I'm not above bribing the animals. Now let's be clear. I cannot be bribed. Okay, you can't throw the treats in my face and say call this or call that or give him a touchdown or give him a battle. No, no, no. However, if a dog is on the sidelines, say, we call it we have many different names for sleeping right slumber on the sidelines, siesta on the 16, wall flowering, illegal napping, we have a million different ways to say it. But dogs do fall asleep. They're between three and six months of age. They're untrained puppies, they're going to do what puppies do. So behind the scenes of it is that yes, dogs fall asleep all the time. And you need to energize them a little bit and be like, give them some motivation. So yes, their handlers myself, whatever we need to do not by the way not to make a score, all the scoring that you see on puppy bowl, the touchdowns, then the pennant, the quote, unquote, penalties. They are all 100% Real, we do not we never influence that. That is real scoring. I'm simply saying getting on the field. NFL players, nobody's got to tell Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen to get on that field. Okay, you know, the whistle blows, they're there. Puppies need a little bit more than a whistle being blown. They need like, I can blow my whistle all day long. I am not going to get both teams lining up at the line of scrimmage. So yes, treats are important.
Pamela Kirkland 11:17
I love it. I'm glad to know how it works. And since we're talking about the inner workings of the puppy bowl, I understand you guys film in advance. Why do you film so far in advance?
Dan Schachner 11:27
I'll tell you, if we did the puppy bowl live, it would be real cute. And remember, it's a three-hour event. It'd be real cute. There wouldn't be quite as much action as you are used to in a game. The scoring might take a little longer. The penalties might take a little longer to call and create or I should say examine and you know call. And the reason is when you got 122 dogs, they're never on the field at once, of course, and you're cycling in different groups in the first quarter. It's the smaller breeds and we work our way up to the fourth quarter. Well, you have the giant sheepdogs, babies still but sheepdogs. You've got to showcase as many different breeds as possible and as many different shelters as possible. We have 67 different shelters from across the country. You know, we're trying to it's so a rainbow of dogs and shelters and breeds and everything. Now, in order to do that carefully and safely, we do have to cycle them in small groups.
Pamela Kirkland 12:30
And I mean, I'm sure the puppies need a bathroom break every so often.
Dan Schachner 12:34
Doesn't matter. They take a bathroom break right on the field. No, there's no discretion there.
Pamela Kirkland 12:41
Have they ever had a little bathroom break incident on you, on the ref? I don't even know what kind of offense that would be.
Dan Schachner 12:48
Pamela, there are several different ways to say it. You know, you could call it fertilization of the field. You could call terrorizing the ref. You could if it's on me, you could say interference. Tinkle on the 2. If it's a number two then a number two on the two, there are lots of ways to say it right. Here's the thing to answer that question. It's not rare for them to do it. It's rare if they don't do it. They're only three months old. And no training. So if they don't pee, it's weird. It's like a waste of this guy. All right. He's been on on the field for half an hour and hasn't tinkled once. So, yeah, it's just part of it. And look, if we showed every time they peed, it really would be the poopy bowl. It wouldn't be the puppy bowl. So we can't, we've got to pick our battles there.
Pamela Kirkland 13:37
And so I guess I have to ask you at least one serious football question. Are you rooting for the Eagles or the Chiefs?
Dan Schachner 13:45
I am a sports fan. I will tell you my official answer. As a representative of Animal Planet. I'm partial to any team. That is the animal theme. But my personal, yes, is on the human side. I'm calling it for the Eagles. I think it's their year.
Pamela Kirkland 13:59
Aside from watching the puppy bowl on television. How else can fans tune in this year?
Dan Schachner 14:05
Yes, this year, I'm proud to announce that not only are we on Animal Planet, but we're also on Discovery. We're on TBS, and we're also streaming on both Discovery+ and HBO Max that's big for us. So there are many places to watch puppy bowl. And then on if you happen to be in the New York area and you want to celebrate puppy bowl prior to the game or watch it during the game. I'm hosting pup rallies and tail-gating, yes, pun intended. And during the puppy bowl, we're hosting a viewing party so just Yeah, look, look out for those as well.
Pamela Kirkland 14:35
Tail-gating, how did I not think of that as a joke to lead into this? I personally cannot wait to watch another puppy bowl. Dan, thank you so much for spending time with us on The Ten.
Dan Schachner 14:47
You too, thank you so much.
Ryan Willard 14:49
Thanks so much, Pamela and Dan. Oh, there goes my alarm. Time to give some smooches to my pooches. Wait for me.
Tessa Flannery 15:01
Welcome to the trivia room.
Dan Schachner 15:04
Thank you.
Tessa Flannery 15:05
All right, Dan, hop on up on the trivia throne for today's pup-related trivia question. Now, cheetahs are the fastest land animals that can reach speeds of 75 miles per hour. But, there's a breed of dog that could win a race against a cheetah. Do you know which breed? Is it a) golden retrievers, b) greyhounds, or c) rhodesian ridgebacks? Ten'ers, did you guess it? Dan, what's your answer?
Dan Schachner 15:46
I mean, ridgebacks are fast too, but greyhounds can go like 40-something miles an hour, so I think it's the greyhound.
Tessa Flannery 15:51
The answer is b) greyhounds. Cheetahs can run at 75 miles per hour, much faster than the 45 miles per hour greyhounds run. But, greyhounds can run at a speed of 35 miles per hour for up to seven miles, whereas cheetahs can only run their fastest for 30 seconds. So in a race, cheetahs would tire out quickly, leaving it to the greyhounds. Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Use our phone line and call 188-TEN-NEWS. That's 188-TEN-NEWS to get in touch and we might have you on the show.
Pamela Kirkland 16:46
How are the pups doing?
Ryan Willard 16:48
Um, you know training dogs is a lot harder than it sounds. Rooney, heal.
Pamela Kirkland 16:58
You okay, Ry?
Ryan Willard 17:01
I'm good. We should give some special Ten News snaps to one of our listeners.
Pamela Kirkland 17:04
But before we do, here's a quick note for the grown-ups.
Ryan Willard 17:08
Time for some Ten News Snaps.
Pamela Kirkland 17:14
Ten'er, PandaBear7398 wrote this review of The Ten News. Great podcast for kids from 8 to 13. Love it. fire emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji.
Ryan Willard 17:26
Thanks, PandaBear, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Ten Things You Need to Know drops every Tuesday and our in-depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you can join the Ten'ers Club on our website or on Apple podcasts.
Pamela Kirkland 17:39
The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 17:44
The Ten News creative team is fostering puppies and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, and Tessa Flannery.
Pamela Kirkland 17:51
Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
Ryan Willard 17:59
I'm Ryan Willard.
Pamela Kirkland 18:00
And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. I'm off to go tailgating. Get it tailgating, because of the puppies?
