Dan the Ref has the best seat in the house at Puppy Bowl XIV
For one blissful day this past October, a nondescript New York City film studio was filled to the brim with adoptable puppies.
Ninety dogs, escorted by volunteers from 49 animal shelters across the country, gathered in playpens throughout the studio for one delightful purpose: the chance to compete in Puppy Bowl XIV, America's finest sporting event.
Per Animal Planet, this year's players hail from 25 states across the country and include rescues from the hurricanes in Houston, Puerto Rico, and Florida. The show will also feature its first international player, a dog named Mango who hails from Mexico.
On shoot day, pups donning green and yellow bandanas napped and played while shelter volunteers listened for instructions. In small groups, puppies and their dutiful handlers made their way to set, where a bright green, bone-shaped playing field littered with dozens of chew toys waited.
But though the bone-shaped field is a new feature of this year's show, one constant remains: Dan the Ref.
When Puppy Bowl XIV airs on Sunday, February 4, it'll be Dan Schachner's seventh consecutive year on the show. An actor with experience in sports television hosting, Schachner filmed himself interacting with puppies all over New York City to secure the role.
Now a seasoned puppy wrangler, Schachner says playing referee to a group of high-energy pups involved a bit of a learning curve.
"The first year was a blur," he told us on set. "I was learning what to watch out for and what battles to pick. You can't foul every infraction because then you'll never get anything done."
Though Schachner is careful to remain an impartial judge of each year's players, one member of this year's lineup – a puppy named Biscuit, of Social Tees Animal Rescue in New York, New York – was actually a foster dog in Schachner's home. To hear the ref tell it, Biscuit performed...uh...
"I have Biscuit who participated in the Puppy Bowl, and did horribly, but that's ok," he joked. "I'm actually glad she didn't score a million touchdowns because then it would have been a real scandal. She did fine, she held her own, she didn't get fouled."
And, crucially, Biscuit didn't make a mess on set as puppies tend to do. Despite his referee stripes, Schachner says he's "not above" cleaning up after the players.
"I don't do it regularly because people kind of attack it," he said. "They get to it faster than I will, but I am not above cleaning up any messes left behind. I do try to feed all the dogs dry food so that what I am picking up is, uh, not to be too explicit, you know – it's easier to pick up."
It's all part of the day's work – he's been "peed on, pooped on, vomited on." He's even got a change of clothes for the occasion.
"I have four changes of costume," he assured me. "They're all just sitting pressed in the dressing room and ready to rock."
Topics Animals
