Team Fluff has taken home the coveted “Lombarky” trophy in the 2023 Puppy Bowl, winning 87-83 over Team Ruff.
Vivianne, a bulldog mix from southern Colorado, scored the game’s final touchdown after taking an adorable green turtle toy into the end zone.
Team Fluff is on a winning streak: They also won in 2022.
“Ruff-eree” Dan Schachner presented the trophy to Majesty, a purebred corgi from Florida and Team Fluff’s captain.
The game featured the first ever overtime in Puppy Bowl history after Team Ruff recovered from a 31-point deficit to tie the game in the second half.
Over 100 rescue dogs faced off in the adorable competition, which seeks to raise awareness for rescue organizations and help the pups get adopted. Some of the players have already been adopted since the show is pretaped, but those who are still up for adoption are featured on Discovery’s website.
The dogs win points by dragging chew toys into end zones, with dramatic slo-mo cameras capturing their paw-some plays.
The game also included a feline halftime show performance. Rescue kitties from across the country took the stage, including special guest “Furianna.”
This is the 19th year that Animal Planet has hosted the canine competition. Animal Planet says every puppy and kitten ever featured on prior Puppy Bowls has found a home since the first show in 2005.
“This year we have two brothers in the game, we have Carlos and Crocket, they are both Dachshund blends,” Petruzzelli added. Just like the headlines of this year’s Super Bowl with the Kelce brothers competing, the Puppy Bowl had a headline of its own, but Carlos and Crocket were on the same team, the winning team, Team Fluff.
“All the puppies in the Puppy Bowl truly are winners, because they’ve all been adopted and that’s the true goal here,” Petruzzelli said.
Carlos was adopted by San Diego local Ashlee Testerman shortly after he flew back from New York to film the Puppy Bowl in October. Testerman didn’t know he was a star when she fell in love with him and adopted him from the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
“I get teary-eyed and I’m like oh he’s my little superstar,” Testerman said, talking about seeing him on TV.
“He was the first dog I saw and within like 5 minutes I was like I’m going home with him, I didn’t even know much about the Puppy Bowl thing. I was just like in love with him the second I saw him,” said Ashlee Testerman, Carlos’ owner.
What about Crocket? He found a loving home too.
“He was adopted by my parents, my mom and dad, actually when I took him to New York we bonded so much that he became a part of the family,” Petruzzelli said.Watch video