Team Fluff takes home the 'Lombarky Trophy' in a stunning 2023 Puppy Bowl claw-biter

Team Fluff got a leg up on the competition, narrowly beating Team Ruff on Sunday's Puppy Bowl XIX, multiple outlets reported.

"Because we’re playing a game, we’re having fun, we’re getting the message out about adoption," referee Dan Schachner told the New York Post.

“But the real drive here, the real win, the real championship is these guys having a forever home and not languishing in a shelter forever,” Schachner added.

Team Fluff took got its paws on the Lombarky Trophy in an overtime win with a final score of 87-83.

Pickle, a Pomeranian from Florida Little Dog Rescue, took home the Most Valuable Pup award winning 56% of viewers' votes. Animal Planet rightly calls Pickle a "two-way superstar." Her quick paws on the field were unmatched.

Both teams were decked out in full uniform, with Team Fluff sporting blue bandanas and Team Ruff in orange.

In an unforgettable moment, Team Fluff's Vivianne scored the game's final touchdown.

The fluffy athletes are competing for the best prize of all - a forever home. The event, which is filmed in the fall, is meant to promote animal adoption, Entertainment Weekly explains.

Though the cuddly cuties playing on this year's roster may already have found their forever families, there are plenty of other equally deserving pets eager to join a great family.

This year, the event featured 11 puppies and three kittens that were adoptable during the broadcast.

The adoptable pups include:

• Arwen, a female, chocolate Labrador from the Humane Society of Missouri,
• Buzz, a male Anatolian shepherd mix from Paws4Ever in North Carolina,
• Captain, a male Chihuahua/Dachshund at Save an Angel in Texas,
• CeeDee, a female terrier/Siberian husky from Dallas Dog in Texas,
• Fortune, a male mixed breed from Animal Friends in Pennsylvania,
• Jason, a male Great Pyrenees/Labrador retriever from Puplandia Dog Rescue,
• Moya, a male terrier mix from Paw Works in California,
• Red, a male shepherd mix from Nevada SPCA,
• Twizzle, a female Labrador retriever from Animal Rescue New Orleans in Louisiana,
• Wampa, a male American pit bull mix from Secondhand Hounds in Minnesota, and
• Yukon, a male Chihuahua mix from Sacramento SPCA in California.

• Ghee, a male domestic shorthair from Gifford Cat Shelter in Massachusetts
• Moo, a female domestic shorthair from Madison Cat Project in Wisconsin, and
• Quokka, a male domestic longhair at Cleveland Animal Protective League in Ohio.

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