If you think two brothers coaching against each other in Super Bowl XLVII is impressive, then sink your teeth into this: Eight siblings competed against each other in the fourth annual Puppy Bowl hosted by the Spokane Humane Society this afternoon at the Yuppy Puppy in North Spokane.

“That's a whole lot of cute right there,” Dave Richardson, executive director, said about the bunch of puppies.

All eight puppies, fresh from their baths this morning, were adopted – as is the goal of the Puppy Bowl.

The puppies – appropriately named Sideline, Tackle, Fumble, Player, TD, Jacque, Jersey and Punt – came from the same litter, and are about 9 weeks old. They came into the Humane Society's care when their mother was found by SCRAPS emaciated. They have been in the care of Humane Society volunteer foster home for the last six weeks.

The players are all black lab-mixes – or “purebred adorable” – varying in size.

There are several things to consider when Mother Nature dumps a half-foot of snow on the area.

PETA sent out several tips Monday for pet owners and animal-conscious citizens, because “dogs and other animals can suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze.”

Here are some of PETA's tips:

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.

Silvano Bitencourt is a native of Brazil. He came to the United States with pretty much nothing but the shirt on his back and the American Dream in his heart. Silvano not only has accomplished the American Dream he recently became a United States Citizen.

I had a chance to talk with him recently about his Dog & Cat Grooming business in Spokane, becoming a citizen and what he has planned for the future.

Tell me a little about yourself, I know you're Brazilian. How does a Brazilian wind up living in Spokane?

I am Brazilian born in Brasilia Distrito Federal Brazil, I belong to the first generation of the federal capital of the nation. When I decided to fight for my American dream, get out of Brazil to Miami FL, where I started the whole course of my life in America. After a few years in Florida, several economic problems and other personal reasons, I was curious and sought other places to follow my dreams.

I decided to move to Spokane, I thought it was a charming city and not expensive to live. I didn't know anyone here, I faced problems of adaptation and acceptance in this community. I was the victim of discrimination in a sporting goods store when I first moved here. My accent if very thick so I think it was surprising to see a Latino. But Spokane has come a long way in terms of acceptance of different people.