VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — When a Virginia Beach woman and her mother adopted a shelter dog in the fall, they had no idea their pup had competed in this year’s Puppy Bowl.
Wrigley, a mini-pin Chihuahua mix formerly known as Flea Flicker during her time at the Southside SPCA, was one of several dogs found abandoned in a box in Farmville.
Provided to WTKR The family fell in love with Flea Flicker through a connection to rural Central Virginia’s Southside SPCA.
“She kept saying, ‘She’s such a special dog, she is such a special dog. Trust us,’” Ireland Miller recalled.
The family soon learned their now 9-month-old pup was picked, along with 129 other shelter dogs around the country, to compete in Animal Planet’s annual event.
Provided to WTVRThe competition, which was recorded in the fall, is a chance for pups to compete for the Lombarky Trophy while also calling attention to the need for shelter adoptions nationwide.
“We had no idea what any of that meant,” Miller said. “We said, ‘That’s cool.’ And now all of this is coming to fruition.”