Puppy Bowl watch party brings dogs and humans together for the other big game

By Marcella Baietto, Jake Jacobson

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Even though the Super Bowl was the main event on Sunday, a watch party for a different game brought a crowd out to Philadelphia’s Manayunk section.

At Bark Social, their version of the big game is the 20th annual Puppy Bowl.

“Sterling loves looking at other dogs on the TV,” Sterling’s mom Melissa O’Brien said.

Owners of all kinds of pups, from tiny Yorkshire terriers to energetic Labradors, came out to the dog park and bar to watch teams Fluff and Ruff battle it out on TV.

Nicole Bosurgi and Derek Light have been coming to the park ever since rescuing their dog Cannoli.

“I think we’re going with Ruff,” Bosurgi said.

“I think I’m going Fluff,” O’Brien said.

“I think Ruff is due,” Doug Bloom said.

Bark Social opened in April and includes a large outdoor turf field and supersized dog bowls that double as splash zones.

“Watching them have the best day ever really translates and does something to the human, too,” Bark Social co-founder Charlene Lee said.

O’Brien rescued 4-year-old Sterling from a puppy mill and hopes others will consider adopting too.

“I never would have thought I’d find a purebred Yorkie at a rescue,” O’Brien said. “So, I think there’s such an array of dogs and they all need homes.”

Aside from the watch party, ACCT Philly brought rescue dogs that they hope could find a forever home.

As people checked out the dogs up for adoption, team Ruff took home the big win.

But for many dog owners, they hope the true winners are the dogs that find new families.

“It’s just a whole bunch of love, and I feel like we’re starting like a little family and it’s very cute,” Light said.

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