Local puppy makes the big time
<p>Chicklet, a deaf puppy that was fostered by the Double J Dog Ranch in Hauser Lake, will appear in Puppy Bowl XI on Animal Planet during Super Bowl Sunday. She was drafted to Team Fluff and will play in the starting lineup and is one of only two deaf puppies in the program.</p>
HAUSER LAKE - Move over Russell Wilson - there's another big dog in town.
Chicklet, a deaf puppy from North Idaho's own Double J Dog Ranch, will be starring in "Puppy Bowl XI, Ruff vs. Fluff," on Animal Planet during Super Bowl Sunday.
"We're really excited," said Cristene Justus, co-owner and operator of Double J Dog Ranch, which fosters and finds homes for blind, deaf and special-needs canines. "It's a really big deal that she made the starting lineup."
Chicklet, who is now about 8 months old, is a white Australian shepherd-sheltie mix with some blue merle coloration, a black nose and ears that stand tall. Hers is a true rags-to-riches tale, as she was found on the side of a road in Tennessee when she was only 7 weeks old. A deaf dog advocacy organization connected with Double J and Chicklet was transported to the ranch to find a new life.
For the past three years, Animal Planet network representatives have contacted Double J searching for fresh "athletes." Justus said the ranch previously wasn't able to participate, but this year was the lucky year for Double J and Chicklet.
"She's one of those puppies that has the 'it' factor," Justus said. "She's a perfect advocate for special-needs dogs."
Chicklet is one of only two deaf puppies that will play in the Puppy Bowl, and all participating pups are from animal shelters or rescues. On average, 50 puppies are chosen to play each year.
"The most important part of her and the other deaf puppy in the bowl is that it will show on a national level what we always say, that special needs dogs are perfect in every way," Justus said.
Justus and Chicklet flew to Manhattan in October for filming, an experience that was unforgettable for both of them.
"She got along with everybody," Justus said. "She's a really engaging puppy; she makes friends everywhere she goes."
She said they were stopped in the airport, on the streets of New York and just about everywhere they went as passersby couldn't help but want to pet and say hello to little Chicklet, who was then around 5 months old.
Chicklet has been adopted "by a wonderful couple in north Spokane," Justus said, and her new owners call her Angel.
"I think that this is where she really lucked out," Justus said, adding that Chicklet's adoption story may be aired at the end of the Puppy Bowl. Chicklet is also featured in a Puppy Bowl commercial.
"When you're talking about blind and deaf dogs, that's huge," Justus said.
Chicklet and her Team Fluff teammates will be taking on Team Ruff in an adorable, nationally aired showcase of puppy play, beginning at noon Sunday on Animal Planet with a marathon continuing the rest of the day. The puppies will be in a model stadium with plenty of toys, water bowls and cameras to catch the action while sports commentators narrate the "game" and a "rufferee" calls the penalties, tackles and touchdowns. The Kitty Half-Time Show, which stars kittens from animal shelters, will take place midway through the bowl.
Double J Dog Ranch is having a Puppy Bowl XI party at Curley's Hauser Junction at noon Sunday to celebrate Chicklet's success. Curley's is located at 26433 W. Highway 53 in Hauser.
Info: www.facebook.com/DoubleJDogRanch or www.doublejdogranch.org.