Despite the fact that the Super Bowl is a huge TV viewing event, in recent years other networks have started to provided special ‘counterprogramming’ to coincide with the game.  While they can’t offer the excitement of Superbowl betting, they have produced some interesting alternatives to either the halftime show or the entire game.  MTV’s legendary cartoon duo Beavis and Butthead were one of the pioneers of Superbowl counterprogramming with the ‘Butt Bowl’ which appeared for three years during the mid 1990′s.  More recently, the Lingerie Bowl offered a pulchritudinous PPV alternative to the NFL action.

One of the most successful Superbowl counterprogramming efforts has been Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” which will air for the sixth consecutive year this Sunday.  Sportsbooks may not take action on the event, but its grown in popularity every year. The general premise of the Puppy Bowl is simple–let a bunch of cute, rambunctious puppies loose in a play area designed to look like a football field and videotape the proceedings.  Until his untimely death in April 2009, NFL Films narrator Harry Kalas put his own distinct touch on the Puppy Bowl play by play.

Over the years, the Puppy Bowl has become a bigger event with many features inspired by its NFL counterpart.  Puppy Bowl I pioneered the use of the ‘bowl cam’ for a unique perspective on the action.  The second Puppy Bowl introduced a halftime show featuring kittens from local animal shelters, and apropos of the real Superbowl even has a corporate sponsor (Bissell Vacuum Cleaners).  Puppy Bowl III saw the addition of a pre-game ‘tailgate party’ featuring even more dogs.   Puppy Bowl IV was broadcast in HD for the first time, while Puppy Bowl V featured a trained parrot ‘singing’ the National Anthem. Puppy Bowl VI will feature a corporate blimp (the Twizzlers Blimp) for panoramic overhead shots, and will include bunny rabbit ‘cheerleaders’ for the first time.

The Puppy Bowl is great fun, but also serves a very valuable purpose.  All of the participants are shelter dogs available for adoption, and the broadcast features other resources for those looking to adopt a pet.  All of the dogs, cats and bunnies on this year’s event came from shelters affiliated with the national Petfinder adoption directory.  It’s a great resource to match animals that need a home with families looking for a pet.

So take a few minutes this weekend to check out the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.  It’s a fun showcase for some adorable pups and will hopefully find them–and many other pets–permanent homes.  We’ve got a video preview of Puppy Bowl VI below and you can find even more classic Puppy Bowl action video on the Animal Planet website.  The Puppy Bowl will kick off this Sunday at 3:00 PM Eastern.

Puppy Bowl IV starting lineup

Adopt a pet at Petfinder