Charles, an adorable 3-year-old Labradoodle groomed to look like a lion, caused a bit of a scare to Norfolk, Virginia locals who called 911 to report the faux baby king of the jungle.
Police received a call yesterday morning from concerned residents alerting them to the presence of a lion cub wandering the city streets, according to HamptonRoads.com.
Winfield Danielson, a zoo spokesman, told the Web site that police called to make sure all the zoo’s lions were accounted for.
Once getting the clear, police were able to track down owner Daniel Painter.
“I tell people he’s a Lab-a-lion, and half the people believe that,” Painter said and added that his dog has been mistaken for a lion several times.
Painter’s Labradoodle had his coat shaved to resemble Old Dominion University’s mascot Big Blue, and is a staple of ODU tailgate parties.