Maine Comes Up Short in the Puppy Bowl, but It Was Close

The Puppy Bowl went into overtime for the first time ever.

WMUR reported that team Fluff took home the 'Lombarky' trophy in the 2023 Puppy Bowl, beating Team Ruff 87-83.

Girls rock as Vivianne, a bulldog mix from southern Colorado, had the final touchdown. In case you don't know, rescue dogs have to grab a toy on the field and run it to the end zone for a touchdown. She brought an adorable green turtle toy into the end zone for the win. Betty and Higgins from the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland were selected for the Puppy Bowl this year!

That's Higgins on the left and Betty on the right. They were both on Team Ruff...and unfortunately for our hometown favorites, they were on the wrong team. But Team Ruff did make an impressive 31-point deficit go away to tie the game in the second half. But it wasn't enough as Team Fluff took the win. They are on a winning streak, they also won last year.  The Ruff-eree gave the trophy to Team Fluff's captain, Majesty, a purebred corgi from Florida.

Puppy Bowl XIX featured 122 puppies, including 11 puppies with special needs, from 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states. Maine has had a rescue in the past few Puppy Bowls. Every year the Puppy Bowl has been on Animal Planet, every animal has been adopted. I know Betty and Higgins from Maine didn't get the Lombarky Trophy (a large stuffy from Petco), but they got the biggest prize of all - their furever home.