Sacramento rescue dog, Dee-Bone Samuel, wins Most Pupular contest for Puppy Bowl XXI
Tobias “Dee-Bone” Samuel, the 7-month poodle mix from Sacramento playing in Sunday’s Puppy Bowl, has won the title of Most Pupular, according to the Sacramento SPCA.
The title was granted after Dee-Bone beat out 141 other dogs in an online voting contest, where he won the most votes throughout four rounds out of any Puppy Bowl contestant. He now holds the LomBARKI trophy alongside his prestigious title. Joaquin Razo, his guardian, said he and Dee-Bone have worked hard for the trophy.
“He’s been excited to share his news,” Razo said.
Adopted from Sacramento SPCA, Dee-Bone is the only dog representing California in this year’s competition, his owner, Joaquin Razo, previously told The Sacramento Bee in a video interview.
Dee-Bone is named after Deebo Samuel Sr., the wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, according to the Discovery Network. He is playing on Team Ruff, his player biography states.
“Like his namesake, Dee-Bone Samuel is known to be a versatile player on the field,” the poodle-mix player description reads. “He may start off a bit reserved, but when the ball rolls his way, watch out! This dog is always ready to make some big plays.”
To celebrate his win, Dee-Bone will be at Bike Dog Brewery on 2568 Industrial Blvd in West Sacramento from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Sacramento SPCA, Razo said.
Dee-Bone isn’t the first little guy from Sacramento to compete nationally in Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl.” In 2024, Bark Purdy, a chihuahua-mix, represented Sacramento SPCA in the “Puppy Bowl XX.”
Dee-Bone will be ruffing it up with his fluffy teammates in Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl XXI,” which will be broadcast this Sunday at 11 a.m. PST.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
CORRECTION: The name of Joaquin Razo, Tobias’ owner, was misspelled in photo captions.
