Have you seen the news about Pawl Ruff? 

In case you missed it, a dog in the Collierville Animal Shelter gained some fast fame after someone noticed he made the same facial expressions as actor Paul Rudd. Jenny Dixon, a former Collierville resident, created a collage showing the two faces side by side. The Town just happened to be running a campaign on Valentine’s Day encouraging people to adopt animals, so they shared Jenny’s picture on social media.

Well, the post got a lot of attention. 

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? pic.twitter.com/Q0onM8dvw9

— Town of Collierville (@ColliervilleGov) February 14, 2023

The Commercial Appeal made Pawl Ruff (actual name Waffle House) the cover story and two days later he appeared on People’s website. He also went international with stories in both ET Canada and the Daily Mail out of the United Kingdom. Today, he got a feature in Marie Claire.

All this buzz around the dog made Collierville resident Jennifer Roy quickly send in her adoption application.

“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’,” said Jennifer. 

She noticed his picture a few weeks ago, before he became famous, and had always wanted an Australian Shepard. 

“The story blew up and I was worried someone would come get my dog!” she said. She submitted her application, scheduled a shelter visit over the weekend, and ended up officially adopting him on Sunday, February 19th. (He is pictured enjoying his new home – he’s even allowed on the couch!)

When asked what name Pawl Ruff would have now, she said their family chose the name Rowdy, “although he isn’t very rowdy all, but he seems to like the name,” laughed Jennifer.

She also shared he’s settling into his furever home very well, playing with her kids in the backyard and riding around in the car. He’s going to join her in her pet-friendly office later this week, so he gets to spend as much time with his new family as possible.

“We did reach out to Paul Rudd’s publicists and asked if they would bring the story to his attention. We did not expect him to adopt the dog, we just wanted the story to reach him!” said Jennifer Casey, the Town’s Public Information Officer. “And if the story stops here, it is a very happy ending.”

The Town’s Animal Shelter Manager, Brandon Wallace, thought it was great publicity for the shelter and encourages anyone looking for a pet to consider adoption. They also have volunteer opportunities available. Visit colliervilletn.gov/animalshelter for more information.