Puppy Bowl 2016: Puppies Play Their Hearts Out In Doggone Adorable Match

Forty-nine rambunctious puppies took center stage at Puppy Bowl XII Sunday afternoon, but only one puppy was crowned Most Valuable Puppy (MVP).

Star, a 20-week-old chow chow labrador, lived up to her name after being awarded the game's coveted title.

The adorable mix, who was recruited from a Miami-Dade County, Florida, animal shelter, easily proved to be the event's top dog, having scored two touchdowns for #TeamRuff in less than a minute.

Star's pint-sized team went head-to-head against #TeamFluff after charging onto Animal Planet's miniature football field ready to play ball with a bonafide referee on hand (with plenty of doggie poop bags) to ensure it was a good, clean match.

As if watching wobbly-legged puppies tumble over another isn't heartwarming enough, the action-packed event's focus was on adoption awareness.

All the pooches were drafted from 44 animal shelters and rescue organizations from around the country. By the end of Sunday's big play date, the event's organizers hope to have every last one placed into a good home. 

This year's entertainment included chicken cheerleaders and a return of their wise-cracking parrot, Meep,  who provided play-by-play coverage on Twitter.

And instead of a Coldplay headlined half-time show, kitties took the spotlight.

The adorable special was San Francisco-themed, showing the fur balls pawing across a miniature Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and the infamous prison, "Al-Cat-Raz."

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