Watch the first on-field doggy streaker in Puppy Bowl history run around 'bark naked'

It was only a matter of time: The Puppy Bowl has officially had its first on-field streaker incident.

An exclusive clip from this year's Puppy Bowl XX, above, shows the hilarious moment when a small brown dog interrupts the annual matchup between Team Ruff and Team Fluff sans bandana — a.k.a. in the nude.

"Wait a minute — is that what I think it is?" an announcer says in the clip as the streaker makes his way on to the field, much to the confusion of the puppy players who promptly start heading to the sidelines. As the announcer astutely puts it, "Dan the ref has his work cut out for him today." And indeed Referee Dan Schachner can be seen in the clip chasing the streaker, trying to get him to put on a bandana as he hilariously can be heard saying to the dog (who is pixelated for modesty), "You're bark naked! This is a family show, come here!"

Ahead of this year's Puppy Bowl, EW caught up with Schachner — who has called the game since its 8th edition — to get his take on the incident. "Yes, that guy just decided to go fully on, and honestly, he's an attention seeker, apparently," Schachner said of the streaker. "He was just looking for a little bit of a thrill. We had a good talk with him on the sidelines."

Unfortunately, the ref had to make a bit of a ruff call. "We did give him a little penalty. We told him, 'Hey, it's a family show. Try to keep things clean,'" he says, adding, "and when I say clean, I don't mean just like, 'Hold your number ones and number twos for halftime — don't do them on the field — I also mean keep your darn clothes on.'"

According to Schachner, the dog "learned his lesson" after making amends. "He didn't come back. He did have to issue a formal apology, which in dog world is just ask for a belly rub, and basically get a belly rub," the ref said.

It's a year of firsts for this year's Puppy Bowl, even for the longtime referee himself, who formally adopted one of the Puppy Bowl pups for the first time ever. Though he's fostered an estimated 40 dogs since first teaming up with the event — which seeks to raise awareness about and showcase the variety of adoptable, lovable dogs available at animal shelters across the country — this is the first time he and his family have officially adopted one.

The lucky pooch, named Whistle, came from a puppy mill situation — or disreputable breeder — and had dislocated kneecaps, so she was adoptable via Puppy Bowl but not cleared to play in the game itself. So the adorable poodle mix became Dan's assistant referee in the special instead, and it became an "office romance" throughout the week of filming the special, he says. "We fell in love, honestly, working with her every single day, seeing what a trooper she was, knowing her backstory, knowing she needed a home. She was already my foster dog. I've had a foster dog participating in almost all [of the Puppy Bowls I've done], and they always get adopted, and it's wonderful to see, and I stay in touch with them. But this one, I didn't really want to let go — I have two kids, and honestly, we just all found love. She's a keeper."

In addition to his new canine assistant, Schachner teases a few other things fans can expect from this year's show, which is being touted as "the puppiest Puppy Bowl ever," showcasing a record 131 puppy participants from 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories. Viewers should expect puppies to take over the entire field. "It's insane. Everywhere you look, puppies are going to be working the cameras," says Schachner. "You'll see them in the control room, you'll see them backstage with the paparazzi taking pictures of the athletes as they approach the field. You'll see them in the locker room, and you'll see them as puppy coaches." And the classic kitten halftime special is also back this year, which Schachner promises will be even "more entertaining" than Usher's Super Bowl halftime show.

As for the matchup between Team Ruff and Team Fluff itself, Schachner says he can't divulge who wins — because he honestly has no idea. "We shoot multiple endings for the Puppy Bowl just to keep me in the dark. Nobody wants me to spoil anything," he says with a laugh.

Viewers will just have to tune in to find out which fluffy companions reign victorious this year when Puppy Bowl XX airs on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT and will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max, and discovery+. 

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