It’s an unusual but funny phenomenon when dogs resemble celebrities. Not that they look like humans exactly, but that they somehow capture the essence and facial expressions of a famous person.
That was the case for a shelter dog dubbed Pawl Ruff, who everyone agrees looks like — you guessed it — actor Paul Rudd.
The shelter hoped this funny resemblance would help find the dog a home — and even tried to get the Ant Man star himself to get involved.
Rudd, who is known for playing superhero Ant Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as comedies like Clueless and Anchorman, is one of today’s biggest and most likable Hollywood stars.
And recently, the Collierville Animal Shelter, in Tennessee, recently realized that one of their dogs might be the actor’s twin.
“While making love connections between pets and people today, we discovered one of our dogs is meant to be with Paul Rudd,” the shelter wrote on Twitter.
According to Pet Finder, the dog, originally named Waffle House, is a 65 pound Aussie mix.
But everyone at the shelter agreed that he strongly resembled Paul Rudd, and soon he was redubbed “Pawl Ruff.”
If you need convincing, a woman named Jenny Dixon made a collage of side-by-side photos, showing how “Pawl” and Paul have many of the same looks:
The resemblance isn’t just all about looks, either. The shelter says that, just like his famous namesake, Pawl Ruff is a genuine nice guy.
“I’m a gentle, easy-going fella, the kind of guy you want to be your neighbor, best friend, or life long companion. Maybe I really am the canine version of Paul!” his adoption page reads.
The shelter then made it their mission to let the actor know about his doggy lookalike. They reached out to him on Twitter (the actor doesn’t have an account, so they tagged @AntMan) hoping the actor would respond or even adopt the dog himself.
“Honestly, what is more heroic than adopting a shelter pet?” they wrote.
It’s not clear of Paul Rudd ever saw the tweet (he’s a bit busy at the moment with the release of Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, so we’ll cut him some slack) but Pawl Ruff did end up getting his very own Hollywood ending.
In an update, the shelter announced that Pawl Ruff was adopted! Not by anyone in Hollywood, but right in his hometown of Collierville.
ADOPTED!
— Town of Collierville (@ColliervilleGov) February 20, 2023
Pawl Ruff has found his furever home, and it's right here in Collierville. 🥰https://t.co/b2C6imJfpO pic.twitter.com/mYgwBirUVO
After going viral, Pawl Ruff has become a bit of a local celebrity, and is basking in publicity in a way that would make Paul Rudd proud.
A tweet from the Town of Collierville show Pawl standing with a local newspaper on which he made the front cover. In another, the dog even gives his “pawtograph.”
Front page news. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/CwNwRCEfOU
— Town of Collierville (@ColliervilleGov) February 17, 2023
Did we mention we got his pawtograph? 🐾 pic.twitter.com/QmLt8qtri0
— Town of Collierville (@ColliervilleGov) February 21, 2023
While Pawl Ruff didn’t end up going home with the real Paul Rudd, sometimes celebrities really do adopt their own doppelgangers — like the time a cat named Dennis Quaid was adopted by the real actor Dennis Quaid!
For what it’s worth, Paul Rudd has a pet dog of his own, so while it wasn’t meant to be this time it’s clear the Ant Man star does have a soft spot for dogs.
What a resemblance! We’re so glad that Pawl Ruff has found a home! Please share this funny story! 🐶🐾❤️
