The Australian Shepherd, nicknamed Pawl Ruff, gained fame for looking like Paul Rudd and was adopted Sunday after a tweet comparing him to the Antman actor went viral
Pawl Ruff — Paul Rudd’s canine look-alike — has found a forever home!
The 2-year-old, 65-Lb., Australian shepherd mix from Collierville, Tenn., who gained internet fame for resembling the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania actor, 53, has been adopted, the Tenn. town’s website announced on Monday.
After spotting the Town of Collierville’s now-viral tweet of a collage comparing Pawl Ruff’s many poses to Rudd’s many faces, Collierville local Jennifer Roy sent in her adoption application — one of seven the Collierville Animal Shelter received after the social media post got national press coverage.
“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,'” Roy said.
In a way, Roy had her eyes on the dog — who was called Waffle House before earning the nickname Pawl Ruff — before he became famous, as she always wanted an Australian shepherd. After submitting her adoption application, Roy was uncertain if she would end up with the pup, given the high demand surrounding the canine.
“The story blew up and I was worried someone would come get my dog!” she said.
Roy said she quickly filed her application and visited the shelter over the weekend, taking Pawl Ruff home on Sunday.
Although the dog’s resemblance to Rudd hasn’t changed, Roy officially changed the pet’s name to Rowdy — though, she admits, “he isn’t very rowdy at all, but he seems to like the name.”
She added that the rescue dog is settling into his new home well, playing with Roy’s children and riding around in the car. Roy plans to bring Rowdy to work to help him spend as much time as possible with his new family.
Before the lucky pup went home with Roy, the Collierville Animal Shelter was gunning for an adoption application from Rudd himself.
“Paul doesn’t have a Twitter handle, but @AntMan does. And honestly, what is more heroic than adopting a shelter pet?” the Town of Collierville wrote in its tweet about the pet, posted to help the shelter find a home for the canine.
Though the actor didn’t respond, Jennifer Casey, the town’s Public Information Officer, shared that they did try to reach out to Rudd personally — but this ending works out just as well.
“We did reach out to Paul Rudd’s publicists and asked if they would bring the story to his attention,” Casey said. “We did not expect him to adopt the dog, we just wanted the story to reach him! And if the story stops here, it is a very happy ending.”