Feb. 8 -- Tula's bandanna may read Team "Ruff," but she's playing for Maine in this year's Puppy Bowl.

The 8-month-old Siberian husky-Great Pyrenees mix will join more than 140 rescue and shelter puppies in the 21st Puppy Bowl, which airs Sunday at 2 p.m., just hours before the Super Bowl, and raises awareness about pet adoption. Tula will represent the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland and its foster program, from which she was adopted over the summer.

"She was adopted pretty quickly," said ARL spokesperson Matt Blanchard. "She's a cutie."

The three-hour Puppy Bowl is modeled after the Super Bowl, but unlike its NFL counterpart, the Puppy Bowl is more about sweetness than scoring, and the "players" rarely stick to formation.

Dozens of puppies -- split between teams Ruff and Fluff -- will compete for the coveted Lombarky trophy. Side competitions include Most Valuable Puppy and an Underdog award, according to Animal Planet, which hosts the game.

This year's bowl promises "more puppies than ever before," plus a cat-filled halftime show, Animal Planet said in a release.

Howard Lee, president of Discovery Networks, said in a statement that the bowl intends to "inspire families across the country to adopt a new furry friend."

Blanchard said the Puppy Bowl helps bring attention and drives potential forever families and volunteers to the shelter.

"It's just a great opportunity for us to get our dogs out there," he said.

Tula came to the ARL from Georgia in July, along with her three siblings; their mother, a Siberian husky, arrived about a month later, Blanchard said. Tula lived in a foster home for a few weeks before being adopted by a family in Fairfield, where she shares space with two other dogs "who are her best friends," Blanchard said.

"Her family told us she is still sweet, good-natured, and loves to play and run in the fields," Blanchard said in an email.

The Puppy Bowl will be broadcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS and truTV, and online via Max and Discovery+, according to Animal Planet.

In honor of the local athlete, the ARL will host a Puppy Bowl watch party from 2-5 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Portland. Guests will be able to take in the show, learn more about adoption and meet Tula herself (the Puppy Bowl is pretaped before being aired).

Blanchard expects the partygoers to be mostly donors, volunteers and others already involved, but "everyone is welcome."