Before I got the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra, I was muddling with an older bagged upright. With two dogs, four cats, and a rotating cast of foster kittens, I needed something that could keep up. My parents gifted me the Animal 3 Extra for Christmas, and three and a half years later, it remains one of the most used, best-performing tools in our house.

The Animal 3 Extra’s headline feature is the Motorbar cleaner head, which has built-in de-tangling vanes to guide hair away from the brush bar and into the dustbin. Anyone who's found themselves crouched on the floor with scissors cutting hair off a vacuum brush roll will understand exactly how life-changing this is. There's also a slider on the front that adjusts for different floor types.

What made me want this vacuum was the combination of things my old machine lacked: no bag to deal with, better maneuverability, a longer cord, and a specific design for pet owners. The Animal 3 Extra has changed the way I clean—and in a house where the fur is relentless, that’s a big deal.

My house is a stress test for any vacuum as I own two medium-sized dogs, four cats, and the occasional foster. I have a mix of low- and medium-pile carpet, hardwood, and tile, which means I need a vacuum that transitions well. Over three-plus years, the Animal 3 Extra has helped me keep control of all of it—daily carpet runs, baseboards, heat registers, curtains, upholstery, pet beds, hidden corners, behind appliances, and underneath furniture.

I use it alongside our Levoit LVAC-300 stick vacuum and Eureka J15 Pro Ultra robot vacuum, which we use for quick jobs and everyday maintenance. While you can’t beat those for cordless and hands-off convenience, the Animal 3 Extra is our deep-clean workhorse.

The power on this vacuum is not subtle. The first time I ran it over carpet that I thought was reasonably clean, the dustbin filled in a single pass. That level of suction is impressive and a little humbling.

It does make the vacuum harder to push on thick carpet. But once you dial in the right position on the suction slider, it’s the perfect mix of power and easy-to-push. I use the middle position for most carpeting, and it glides when I switch the brush roll off on hard floors.

The whole-machine HEPA filtration is a bonus in homes where pet dander and dust are a constant battle. I empty the dustbin into the garage trash can to keep all that from getting back into the house air, and the one-click release on the bin makes it an easy and contact-free process. Every once in a while, I take out the internal filters and wash them to keep the machine working smoothly and the air fresh.

The Motorbar head directs hair into the suction path, so it ends up in the bin, not matted around the brush roll. This is the feature that sold me, and it has held up over three and a half years of heavy use.

For a house with this much fur—and my long hair—this is a huge time-saver. My old vacuum required frequent brush-roll maintenance. The Animal 3 Extra has needed none.

Upright vacuums leave you feeling tethered, either to a wall outlet or a limited cleaning radius. The Animal 3 Extra has a 35-foot cord and a 15-foot hose-and-wand extension, for a combined 50-foot reach from any outlet. It’s nice to cover so much ground without unplugging once.

That long hose gets a serious workout, too. I use it to clean baseboards, curtains, under heat registers, and furniture. The wand detaches easily and snaps to different attachments with no fuss. Changing tools is quick enough that I actually do it, rather than skipping it because it's a hassle.

The pet groom tool, exclusive to the Extra, sounds gimmicky until you try it. It connects to the vacuum and lets you groom pets directly, gently pulling loose fur into the dustbin before it ever finds floors or furniture.

For skittish pets or those wary of the vacuum, it might take a little getting used to. But in a house full of heavy shedders, it's practical in a way I didn't anticipate. It doesn't replace a real grooming session, but for a quick pass during high-shed seasons, it's made a noticeable dent.

The Animal 3 Extra is heavy—just over 17 pounds—and I feel every one of them on stairs. That's where my stick vacuum takes over—if you have multiple floors, you'll probably want a dedicated lightweight option for staircases rather than hauling this one up and down. You can use the Extra’s hose and attachments, though.

The narrow cleaner head means more passes to cover larger areas compared to wider-headed uprights. It's the trade-off for the detangling head design, but it's worth knowing. And while the ball design provides great maneuverability around furniture legs and corners, there’s a learning curve if you're upgrading from a conventional upright.

Three and a half years in, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is still the vacuum I reach for when I want my floors really clean. It's reliable, powerful, handles an absurd amount of pet hair without breaking a sweat, and the de-tangling Motorbar keeps its promises. For a pet-friendly household with mixed flooring, this is the upright I recommend without hesitation.

It isn't cheap, and it isn't light. But for what it does and how long it lasts, the value is real. If you have pets and you’re tired of wrestling with an underpowered vacuum, this is the upgrade that'll make you wonder why you waited.

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