Dozens of puppies find new homes at third annual Puppy Bowl

Most people would probably not associate Super Bowl Sunday with falling in love, but for dozens of people this year, that is exactly what happened.

On Feb. 4, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in the biggest football game of the season and, in Hendersonville, 30 puppies provided by Brother Wolf Animal Rescue won the hearts of guests at the third annual Puppy Bowl at Sanctuary Brewing Company.

The brewery was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people side-stepping past each other, vying for a view of a mock turf football field where puppies romped and ran about with unbridled freneticism, unwittingly courting potential adopters.

For David and Leslie Hartley, of Hendersonville, the Puppy Bowl was their opportunity to find a new companion after their 14-year-old dog passed away in October 2016. Sitting with a docile Jack Russell terrier mix dozing in his lap, David Hartley explained that they had met the foster owners, receiving the blessing to adopt him.

“He’ll get a lot of love at our house. We miss our dog. Sometimes dogs kind of find you,” said Hartley.

The Vegan Bros. — actual brothers and veganism advocates Matt and Phil Letten, from Los Angeles — emceed the event, providing a play-by-play of the puppies’ every move and often assuming a horizontal position on the field, allowing the infant canines to crawl over them like pieces of playground equipment.

Halfway through the event came an announcement of the inevitable: “We have our first poop!” proclaimed Matt Letten.

Some of those attending, such as Meagan Barney, of Asheville, simply came to revel in the universal joy of watching playful pups and to tempt themselves with the idea of taking one home.

“I’m thinking about it. It’s a lot of responsibility,” said Barney as she looked adoringly at a black-and-white puppy named Sansa, cradled in her arms.

Somewhere in Hendersonville, there is a Pomeranian chihuahua named Gracie who was presented this week with a new Jack Russell terrier playmate. Tripp and Christy Jeter arrived at the Puppy Bowl and knew immediately that Ranger, formerly Durango, was the one for them.

“This is the dog we came upon first and we were like, we gotta have that one,” Tripp Jeter said. “This is a boy, by the way. We just brought this just in case,” he said with a laugh as he slipped a bright pink collar around Ranger’s slender neck.

By the end of the event, 26 puppies had been relocated from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to new homes around the area.