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BENTON, La. (BRPROUD) – Meet Birch! This pint-size puppy is participating in Puppy Bowl XVIII.

At 4 pounds and 11 weeks old, Birch was the smallest dog on the show.

Birch came from Ninna’s Road to Rescue – Benton, Louisiana.

The rescue describes Birch this way, “He loves to play hard, but equally loves a long nap snuggled up under a blanket.”

Images courtesy of Ninna’s Road to Rescue – Benton, Louisiana

“We had just delivered 4 puppies from a pregnant dog surrendered to us with multiple other dogs from a hoarding situation,” according to Ninna’s Road to Rescue – Benton, Louisiana.

Those puppies were put up for consideration to be in Puppy Bowl XVIII.

Birch was one of those dogs and he was chosen to go to New York for filming in October of 2021.

The filming went so well that the Puppy Bowl decided to do a feature segment on the chihuahua from Louisiana.

That segment was filmed in Benton in his foster home and at the rescue.

Keep an eye out for that segment when PUPPY BOWL XVIII airs on Sunday, February 13 at 1 PM CT on Animal Planet and streaming on discovery+.

Birch made the starting lineup and will be introduced individually when the game airs.

So where is Birch now? After being fostered by a member of the rescue, Birch found a permanent home in Shreveport.

That family has five kids and Birch “is beyond loved by the family, who had no idea he had even played in the Puppy Bowl, until after they agreed to adopt him.”

This is the third dog from the rescue to take part in a Puppy Bowl.

Darcy & Darby took part in Puppy Bowl XVI.