XII was preceded by "Road to the Puppy Bowl" events across the United States in fall and winter 2015. Local animal shelters and rescue groups partnered with Animal Planet on these events, during which thousands of animals were adopted. Turbo the tortoise suffered a wardrobe malfunction (inspired by the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy) during the half-time entertainment. Silkie chickens served as cheerleaders, and a skunk helped referee the show. The 2017 Puppy Bowl XIII featured three special-needs dogs: Doobert, who is deaf; Lucky, who had her right front leg amputated; and Winston, who is both sight- and hearing-impaired. An hour-long "pre-game show", scheduled to air an hour prior to the Puppy Bowl, and a "Puppy Bowl Virtual Reality" feature (the game seen through the eyes of a puppy), were also added. Halftime entertainment featured "Kitty Gaga" and the Chicago Rock Cats. Guinea pigs and rabbits were the 2017 cheerleaders, and famous pets of Instagram returned. For the first time, Team Ruff and Team Fluff competed for the fictional "Lombarky Trophy" (a parody of the Lombardi Trophy), and each team had a mascot (a rescued screech owl for Team Ruff, and a rescued chinchilla for Team Fluff). In Puppy Bowl XVII, there were puppy “cheerleaders” for both teams on their respective sidelines. In Puppy Bowl XVI, the cheerleaders were armadillos for Ruff and goats for Fluff. Puppy Bowl results Episodes Reception and legacy Ratings Puppy Bowl III, which aired on February 4, 2007, had 7.5 million viewers. Puppy Bowl IV, which aired on Animal Planet on February 3, 2008, had more than 8 million viewers for all its broadcasts, for a total increase of 1,060% from its first airing in 2005. It was also the first Puppy Bowl broadcast in high definition. Puppy Bowl VI aired on February 7, 2010, and a record 1.1 million viewers watched the first broadcast alone. Puppy Bowl VII aired on February 6, 2011 with a total of 9.2 million viewers over the twelve hours it was aired. The actual premiere drew 1.7 million viewers, up 60% from last year. Puppy Bowl VII in 2011 had a total 9.2 million estimated viewers for all airings. Puppy Bowl VIII aired on February 5, 2012. This airing was the second most-watched social television program in America, with more than 10 million viewers over five airings. This included an increase of 17% in ratings in its target