The Belgian Laekenois, the rarest of the four Belgian Shepherd dog breeds, is at risk of becoming extinct with only 1,000 estimated to be left in the world, including just 200 in the US.

But Rocky, an American pit bull terrier born with front limb deformities, is one of the star dogs running away with "Puppy Bowl XXI," Animal Planet’s pre-Super Bowl dogfest. The football-themed ...