A shelter dog named Waffle House has become famous because of his Paul Rudd-like expressions (Credit: Town of Collierville)

An Australian Shepard Mix rescue dog who looks like Hollywood star Paul Rudd has found his permanent home. The February 20, 2023, announcement came just a week after the Collierville, TN, pooch, nicknamed Pawl Ruff, went viral on social media.

The two-year-old canine, originally named Waffle House, rose to Internet fame after a shelter staff noticed his resemblance to the Ant-Man star. They created a collage with side-by-side images of the uncanny similarities in their expressions.

Collierville town officials were running a Valentine's Day campaign to encourage people to adopt shelter animals. They decided to share the fun image on their Twitter account. They even asked Rudd to take in Pawl Ruff.

"Paul doesn't have a Twitter handle, but @AntMan does," the tweet said. "And honestly, what is more heroic than adopting a shelter pet?”

A collage of Paul Rudd and Pawl Ruff went viral (Credit:Town of Collierville)

Rudd did not respond. But the popular post attracted seven applications. Jennifer Roy, who had always wanted an Australian Shepard, was among them. After seeing the viral post, Roy knew she had to act fast before someone else adopted the puppy. She immediately submitted her application and scheduled a visit to the shelter. By February 19, 2023, Pawl Ruff had moved to his permanent home!

“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.

Resources: colliervilletn.gov, pefinder.com, People.com