If watching adorable puppies chase toy footballs is more appealing than cheering for the Seahawks or the Patriots this Super Bowl Sunday, Best Friends Animal Society has it covered.
The national nonprofit animal welfare organization is joining forces with Warner Bros. Discovery to host Puppy Bowl watch parties across the country in conjunction with free pet adoption events. A gathering is planned for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, 2000 Lyons Ave., Houston.
Best Friends communications manager Kerry McKeel said guests at Saint Arnold can watch the Puppy Bowl on the big screen and observe “live” puppies romp around in a miniature replica stadium. If they’re ready for a life-changing experience, they can sign up with the animal shelter on the spot to foster or adopt a pet.
Fees are waived through February 9 at all Best Friends locations and Puppy Bowl tailgates. Volunteers with the LaPorte Animal Shelter are bringing six ready-to-adopt pups to the Houston event.
“It’s a lot of fun,” McKeel said. “We’ve been doing this for years. All of our centers across the country participate by holding these tailgates or watch parties. There are no rules in our little mini-Puppy Bowl at the tailgate party. It’s just fun to see them try to get the ball from one side to the other. It’s a great event to raise awareness at a fun time and highlight the importance of adoption.”
Bianca, one of the Best Friends puppies from a New York City facility, will be featured in the televised Puppy Bowl and has already been adopted.
McKeel said she doesn’t have any concerns about people who adopt a pet from a Super Bowl pre-game party at a bar. The nonprofit doesn’t have an extensive vetting process that involves home visits or background checks; its goal is to get the animals adopted rather than euthanized.
“We try to reduce any barriers to adoption,” she said. “When there are too many barriers, that’s when they decide it’s easier to go buy a puppy online or in a pet store. We want people to consider adoption as their first option. Of course we want to make sure that the person is ready to adopt and has resources. We still go through the same adoption counseling process. We do our due diligence to make sure they’re going into great, loving homes.”
Pets are rarely returned after an adoption, McKeel said. Those who get a puppy from Best Friends Animal Society have the option of staying in contact with the nonprofit throughout the pet’s life.
“Once we commit to saving a life, we’ll take that pet back no matter the circumstance,” McKeel said, adding that the goal of the organization is to ensure that all animal shelters have a no-kill policy, defined as a “90 percent save rate.”
“In Houston, our shelters are filled with thousands of pets every year,” McKeel said. “One of our main roles is to support our shelter partners throughout the Greater Houston area. One of the ways we can support is by pulling animals from the shelters to help them get adopted.”
This article appears in Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026.