The Puppy Bowl is back with a few furry participants from the Miami Valley. The competition calls attention to pet overpopulation in communities around the country. The Humane Society of Greater Dayton sent three puppies to New York City to represent Dayton in the National Puppy Bowl,

Puppy Bowl XXI is the 21st anniversary of arguably the cutest pre-Super Bowl event. The "competition" each year has two teams of dogs from shelters and rescues around the world facing off in a football game. The event encourages viewers to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter or rescue rather than a breeder.

Puppy Bowl XXI, which airs Sunday afternoon on Animal Planet and other channels (see tune-in information below), will feature 142 rescue dogs from 40 states in three hours of play. Teams Ruff and Fluff will vie for the Lombarky Trophy, their rosters including eight dogs from New Jersey.

Two Massachusetts dogs are competing in the Puppy Bowl on Sunday, and a bar in Everett hosts its own form of the event on Saturday.