Print Alas, the coronavirus lockdown put the skids on adorable and adoptable San Diego puppies competing in Puppy Bowl XVII in New York. The dog-beat-dog version of the Super Bowl airs on Animal Planet at noon Sunday (with “tail"gate commentary beginning at 11 a.m.) Unlike past years, furry gridiron wannabes on the West Coast and in the Midwest were deemed geographically undesirable this year as safety precautions dictated that participants drive, not fly, to the New York venue to compete. Nevertheless, the folks at Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, who sent puppy players in 2019 and 2020, will take part — but on their own turf.