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Once destined for a miserable life in animal experimentation, little Briscoe the beagle is now a television star living a pampered life in Norfolk with his new family.
The pup rescued from the now-shuttered Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland is one of two young dogs from the Virginia Beach SPCA competing in Animal Planet’s 19th annual Puppy Bowl on Feb. 12.
The popular, three-hour “Super Bowl” airs at 2 p.m., with a pre-game show starting at 1 p.m., where the channel highlights the work of 67 animal shelters and rescues across 34 states. This year, the big game unleashes 122 puppies into a “stadium” for hours of play, with other Virginia pups hailing from Troy and Arlington.
In May, the Humane Society of the United States began transferring 4,000 beagles taken from Envigo after a federal judge shut down operations there due to cruelty uncovered by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which is headquartered in Norfolk. The Virginia Beach SPCA took in 17 beagles.
Animal Planet filmed the Puppy Bowl late last year in New York, and Briscoe was adopted days later.
“To see him go from what was intended to be a life of animal experimentation to the Puppy Bowl,” said Mandi Kowaleski, communications manager for the Virginia Beach SPCA. “It’s just amazing.”
Briscoe now lives with two canine and two human siblings and their parents in Norfolk. All of the SPCA’s Envigo puppies “have found really great homes,” Kowaleski said.
Weekend Scoop
The SPCA’s other Animal Planet star is Espresso, a mixed-breed girl found with her littermates abandoned on the side of a road in rural North Carolina. The pups were transferred to the SPCA’s nursery for care. Like Briscoe, Espresso has been adopted and lives with her new family in Virginia Beach. Espresso’s lineage, along with all the rest of the featured dogs, will be revealed after the show.
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“Animal Planet does DNA testing on all of them,” Kowaleski said.
Espresso not only appears in the big game, he’s also made it to the “Pupularity Playoffs,” where she’s competing to be the most “pupular” player,
The Virginia Beach SPCA has had pets in the Animal Planet favorite since 2018. In 2021, the shelter didn’t have any puppies involved, but had a kitten performing in the Kitty Halftime show.
“It’s such a great opportunity to highlight all the shelters participating, and even ones that aren’t,” Kowaleski said.
The Puppy Bowl has featured more than 600 puppies over the years, and all have been adopted.
Meet the furry celebrities
The SPCA is hosting a watch party Feb. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. with guest appearances from Espresso and Briscoe at Smartmouth Brewing Pilot House, 313 32nd St., Virginia Beach. Smartmouth is donating 10 percent of proceeds that day to the SPCA.