For Travis Bliss, the quest for the “perfect puppy” led him and his wife to Stardust, a poodle and Australian Shepherd mix who was up for adoption from the Danbury Animal Welfare Society (DAWS) in Bethel.
“My wife and I were totally okay with the fact that there are so many dogs…with so many stories and no home,” Bliss said of why he chose to adopt.
In their search for a puppy, Bliss came across a profile of the pup unaware that Stardust was one of two DAWS dogs participating in Puppy Bowl XIX, which airs on Animal Planet on Sunday, February 12. The other participating DAWS pup is Dakota, a mix of German Shepherd and American Pit Bull. Both dogs came to DAWS from a rescue partner in West Virginia, according to Karen Pasieka, Puppy Program Coordinator at DAWS. There are nine total dogs from Connecticut competing.
Stardust was born into a litter of injured puppies – she herself had to have her eye surgically removed and one of her siblings died in infancy.
Contributed by Travis Bliss
Stardust was born into a litter of injured puppies – she herself had to have her eye surgically removed and one of her siblings died in infancy. Bliss, who lives in Wallkill, NY, said he didn’t even realize one of Stardust’s eyes was missing until the shelter told him about it — he was unable to tell from the photos of the shelter because of the way Stardust’s black fur falls on her. Face. However, he says her disability hasn’t slowed her down at all.
“You wouldn’t even know he was missing an eye today. She is as happy as ever,” Bliss said.
Stardust, who was renamed Mazie after her adoption last August, is competitive, according to Bliss, often wanting to play with a rope toy or fight with the couple’s two cats. So she has the right personality for the Puppy Bowl, which will pit Team Ruff against Team Fluff in a match that highlights the work of rescue shelters and volunteers. There will be 122 different puppies between 67 different shelters participating in the game. Participating Connecticut shelters include DAWS, Dog Star Rescue, Lucky Dog Refuge, Pack Leaders Refuge of CT and Operation Ridgefield for Animal Rescue.
This is the fifth year that DAWS puppies have participated in the Puppy Bowl. “The Danbury Animal Welfare Society is fortunate to be able to participate in this national movement that raises awareness of the importance of animal rescue and adoption, and of the countless loving animals ready to find their forever homes,” DAWS said in a statement to Hearst Connecticut. .
Bliss said he will be away when the Puppy Bowl airs in a few days, but Mazie will be at daycare celebrating with the other dogs while wearing his Team Fluff bandana. He acknowledges that Mazie had a difficult life until her adoption, and he hopes to “make it all go away” with their care for her.