Ok, let me preface this by saying I have 4 animals in my house. I have 3 dogs - 2 are quite large - and 1 cat. My house is COVERED in animal hair. It is a constant battle between myself and the hair build up. This vacuum handles it beautifully, even on hard floors where a lot of vacuums just blow hair around and I end up having to sweep. I could not be happier with this and will buy another one for my downstairs soon. I also took it over a pile of spilled (clean, unused) kitty litter and had no issue. So fantastic for my home and needs.