Dad’s short answer: Three things decide it, and none is the suction number: an anti-tangle brush roll, sealed filtration for the dander, and a bin big enough that you're not emptying mid-clean. Get those and the type matters less than you'd think.

The three features, in order

Anti-tangle brush design first. Pet hair plus long human hair is what kills brush rolls, and a fin-style roller with a comb in the housing is the difference between two minutes a month and a weekly scissors job.

Sealed filtration second. Pet allergies are really dander allergies, and dander is fine. An unsealed machine leaks it back into the room regardless of what filter is fitted. This is also the strongest argument for a bagged machine or a sealed dock in a pet home.

Bin capacity third, and it's underrated. Pet hair is bulky. A small cordless bin with a shedding dog fills fast, and every emptying is a dust event. This is exactly where a self-emptying dock earns its money.

Which type to buy for a pet home

A lot of carpet and a shedder: corded upright, bagged if anyone has allergies. It's the machine that gets hair out of pile.

Mostly hard floors: a cordless stick with a good anti-tangle head, ideally with a dock.

And whichever you buy, add a handheld with a motorized brush head for the furniture and the car. Embedded hair on upholstery needs a powered brush — a plain nozzle does essentially nothing.

That combination, a proper floor vacuum plus a powered handheld, covers a pet home better than any single machine at any price.

Dad’s Take: For pet hair: brush design, the seal, and the bin. Suction is the fourth thing on the list, not the first.