LOCAL NEWS

This year’s Puppy Bowl snubbed North Carolina dogs. So we asked our readers to build a team.

The real “big game” on Sunday is Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl,” which kicks off at 2 pm. This year, no North Carolina dogs were included. So, with the help of Cardinal & Pine readers, we built our own roster all-star K9s.

North Carolina "Puppy Bowl" Team
This year's Puppy Bowl doesn't include any North Carolina dogs. So, with the help of our readers, we made our own team, including Tucker (above), a Raleigh pup who was rescued by the beach by his owner, Ann Stenholm. (Photo via Ann Stenholm)

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The real “big game” on Sunday is Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl,” which kicks off at 2 pm. This year, no North Carolina dogs were included. So, with the help of Cardinal & Pine readers, we built our own roster of all-star K9s.

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The Super Bowl is Sunday, but nobody cares about that.

The real game is the Puppy Bowl, played over on Animal Planet at 2 pm on Sunday. This year’s roster is all sorts of adorable, but there’s one big problem:

There are no North Carolina dogs!

So we asked our readers to submit their pups and help us build our own NC team. Boy, did our readers show up. Take a look at our favorites below.

North Carolina news, entertainment, and culture, in Cardinal & Pine’s free, award-winning newsletter. Sign up here.

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  • Billy Ball is Cardinal & Pine’s senior newsletter editor. He’s covered local, state, and national politics, government, education, criminal justice, the environment, and immigration in North Carolina for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary have earned state, regional, and national awards. He’s also the founder of The Living South, a journalism project about the most interesting people in the American South.

    Have a story tip? Reach Billy at billy@couriernewsroom.com. For local reporting that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Billy’s newsletter.