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Teigan, a spirited participant in Puppy Bowl XXII, sadly passed away three months prior to the event being broadcast nationwide as a prelude to the Super Bowl.
The Connecticut-based animal sanctuary, Perfect Imperfections Rescue, announced that Teigan, a member of the triumphant Team Fluff, succumbed to a severe bout of pneumonia in October.
Her passing occurred before the anticipated airing of the showdown for the Lombarky Trophy on Sunday.
In anticipation of the Puppy Bowl, the rescue center’s leaders shared a photo of Teigan from the filming sessions.
“Watching her on TV will be a bittersweet experience,” the sanctuary expressed in a heartfelt Facebook post.
“For those who don’t know, Teigan and I spent a day at the rescue taping a segment about Teigan, her condition and her receiving her custom cart made by K9karts.
“A few weeks after we had the taping we traveled to NY and participated in the puppy bowl. It was such a fun experience.
“We meet so many incredible people from rescues all over the USA. Spending the day in a room full of puppies was an added bonus. Please tune in and help celebrate Teigan.
“She was such an incredible soul. I’m not sure I will ever get over losing her so soon.”
It was the first year Perfect Imperfections had been invited to take part in the Puppy Bowl.
Teigan’s death was announced on October 23. The pooch was born with neurological issues and a severely curved spine and almost died from pneumonia shortly after arriving at the sanctuary.
“She fought and survived but we knew this could be an issue for her,” the rescue center said.
Teigan contracted pneumonia again but was unable to fight it off.
Teigan was one of the 15 special needs dogs who starred in the Puppy Bowl.
The showdown between Team Fluff and Team Ruff featured 150 rescue dogs.
Team Fluff prevailed in the contest by 73 points to 69, and Boba was named the Most Valuable Pup.
Team Fluff also prevailed in last year’s Puppy Bowl by a narrow two point margin – 68 points to 66.