Chesterfield County hearing-impaired rescue dog stars in Puppy Bowl XVIII on Team Fluff

CHESTERFIELD - Izzy, a hearing-impaired rescue dog, will be featured in the Puppy Bowl XVIII airing this Sunday on Animal Planet and Discovery+. The Watson family of Chesterfield County adopted the puppy before they realized she was recruited to play on Team Fluff against Team Ruff.

"A shelter in Florida contacted us when they realized 'Bunny' was deaf," Erika Proctor, Director and Animal Behavior Specialist said. "We agreed to take her and found a volunteer pilot to fly her here."

Proctor is the co-founder of Green Dogs Unleashed located in Troy, Va. The nonprofit rescue organization rescues, rehabilitates, and places animals with special needs.

According to Proctor, the Watson family reached out to them one or two months after the Puppy Bowl was filmed.

"They applied, met her, and fell in love. It was a perfect match," Proctor said. "We had to keep Bunny's notoriety hush-hush, shrouded in mystery."

The Puppy Bowl's starting lineup was announced in January, and Proctor informed the Watsons that they had adopted a star.

"They were pretty excited about it," Proctor said.

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Izzy's lab results

Recently, Izzy, who is almost one, took a DNA test.

"She is part Staffordshire Terrier, Boxer and Lab," Kristin Watson said. "That explains why she sheds so much. It's an interesting mix. She's a little on the smaller side than what one would think with a boxer or a lab. She's just a cutie."

Watson and her husband Mark thought that their family with five kids and two dogs would be a good fit for Izzy.

"We have a 10-year-old English Pointer hunting dog rescue [Rugby] that I adopted as a single parent when he was five. I'm now remarried with a total of five kids, and we adopted a black, pitbull-mix puppy [Diesel] two years ago. He barks and sounds ferocious, but he's the biggest love-bug ever, and we love that breed."

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New pup fits right in

After spotting Izzy online, the Watsons thought she would fit right into their crazy process with kids and dogs, and they were right.

"We just thought she was potentially an animal that may have a harder time being placed with 'A' being a pitbull-mix and 'B' being deaf," Watson said.

Izzy is really intelligent, and the Watsons think it is neat to watch how she compensates. She is deaf, so she takes cues from the other dogs, sits when they sit.

"Ultimately, we adopted a dog, and she's a great asset for our family," Watson said. "We're very thankful that we have a blended family, and we love the fact that we can give a home to another animal and that she's thriving here."

The Watsons are all looking forward to watching Izzy participate on Sunday. They ordered t-shirts from Green Dogs Unleashed that has Izzy and three other rescues that participated from their group: Glaze, Pongo and Ridley.

"I think ultimately, we're just very happy that she's part of our family. She's a very snuggly dog just like our other ones," Watson said.

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Special needs awareness

Watson likes how the Puppy Bowl has brought awareness to rescue groups.

"It was noted that breeders often euthanized animals with disabilities because they didn't meet certain standards. But, I guess now with all the recognition, those types of groups will reach out to Green Dogs Unleashed or other groups that specialize in placing animals with disabilities," Watson said.

According to Watson, having a dog that is deaf, especially if you have other animals, is really something people can work with. They're just like any other animal.

"Truly, we don't notice that much that she's deaf," Watson said. "That's the neat thing about the Puppy Bowl, it just shows these completely adorable animals that have issues and makes people aware that they're just the same and they need homes. It gives them a chance."

The Watsons hope that Izzy being in the spotlight causes other people to consider adopting a dog with special needs.

The mock football game hosted by Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart airs at 2:00 on Sunday, Feb. 13. Watch Team Fluff play against Team Ruff. Be prepared for cuteness overload!

The Watsons will be front and center watching Izzy and other rescue dogs from around the country experiencing a fun, friendly competition.

— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at [email protected], follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Chesterfield County family's rescue dog featured in Puppy Bowl XVIII