Tennessee Animal Shelter Hoped For Paul Rudd To Adopt Look-Alike Dog

June 4, 2024 Malorie Thompson

An animal shelter in Tennessee had wishful thinking that celebrity Paul Rudd might adopt one of their rescue dogs - a dog that happened to look like Mr. Rudd.

The pooch, a 2-year-old, 65-pound Australian shepherd mix, was originally named Waffle House but was aptly renamed Pawl Ruff thanks to his celebrity look-alike. Ruff was taken in by Collierville Animal Services but he didn't have to stay there long after his famous looks became known.

Photo: Flickr/Gage Skidmore License: CC BY-SA 2.0

After people started to notice the similarities between Pawl Ruff and Paul Rudd, the shelter hoped to see Mr. Rudd step up and adopt the pup.

The official Twitter account for the town of Collierville, TN issued a plea for Rudd to adopt the look-alike rescue pup. They wrote:

While making love connections between pets and people today, we discovered one of our dogs is meant to be with Paul Rudd. We have nicknamed him Pawl Ruff. Paul doesn't have a Twitter handle, but @AntMan does. And honestly, what is more heroic than adopting a shelter pet?"

https://twitter.com/ColliervilleGov/status/1625590246308995094

The tweet was accompanied by a series of photos showcasing the similarities between Paul Rudd and Pawl Ruff.

The photo collage highlighted the similarities between Paul and Pawl, particularly when it comes down to their facial expression.

Collierville shared an update on Facebook less than a week later, explaining that the pup ended up going viral thanks to his looks.

While Paul Rudd didn't end up adopting the dog, a local named Jennifer Roy stepped up to the plate and turned in an application. According to the Facebook post, she said: "I had been looking for a dog and was following different shelters in the area. When I saw him, I thought 'that’s my dog.'" She added that when she saw the story going viral, she was worried someone else would adopt Pawl before she had the chance to, so she quickly turned in her paperwork and scheduled a shelter visit.

On February 19th, Jennifer officially welcomed the dog into her family, giving him a third name: Rowdy. Jennifer shared that Rowdy is settling into his new home nicely.

Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

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