Charles the Monarch, lion dog: Labrador-poodle mix has massive Facebook following after 911 panic

NORFOLK, Va. - Who knew that a haircut could cause so much trouble?

Three people called police when they saw what they believed to be a lion running through the streets in Norfork, Va.

What they didn't know, was that the "lion" was actually a dog.

A 4-year-old Labrador-poodle mix named Charles the Monarch is intentionally shaved and groomed to resemble Old Dominion University's lion mascot.

As Charles was roaming around the streets on Tuesday morning, people thought that the dog was a lion that escaped from the Virginia Zoo.

"I’d like to report a lion sighting," the first caller said according to the Virginia-Pilot . “Say that again?” a dispatcher responded.

"I just saw an animal that looked like a small lion.” It had “the mange and everything,” another caller told the police reported the newspaper.

Upon hearing that there was a lion sighting in the neighborhood, Norfolk police called the zoo to make sure that the lions were all there, which they were.

Later an email was sent out to tell people that the "lion" was just a dog.

Charles' owner Daniel Painter has the dog hang around his business Daniel's Lawn and Garden Center, near Old Dominion University's campus.

The popular dog has his own facebook page with 25,000 likes.