A lion on the loose is certainly a valid reason to panic.
Imagine you were going about your ordinary day, or night, when you saw a lion casually walking down the street. Seeing this would cause most people to call 911.
This kind of incident is exactly what happened in Norfolk, Virginia.
In one night, there were three 911 calls received about a lion on the loose.
One call said, “I’m driving down Granby Street right before the zoo, and there was a lion that ran across the street, a baby lion!”
Another caller said, “I just saw an animal that looked like a small lion. It had the manes and everything.”
Norfolk Police Department Spokesperson Karen Parker-Chesson spoke to ABCNews.com about that interesting night, “We wanted to be sure that there was no wild animal or no animals on the streets.”
So the police called the nearby Virginia Zoo to check if any lions had escaped. However, the zoo reassured them that all the lions were accounted for and were where they were supposed to be.
It turns out that the lion that people were spotting was actually a local business owner’s Labradoodle dog, named Charles the Monarch.
His fur was intentionally groomed and cut to look like a lion, the mascot of nearby Old Dominion University, where the owner’s daughter was a student.
“I go to Old Dominion University and our mascot is a lion and we have a local zoo right here also,” Natalie Painter said, the daughter of the dog’s owner, told ABCNews.com. “He was walking around, and he does look a lot like a lion. So I guess some concerned citizens thought there was a lion.”
Thanks to his unique look, Charles the Monarch has become a local celebrity.
The dog’s owner Daniel Painter owns a business on Colley Avenue in Norfolk where Charles the Monarch is a mainstay.
The Labradoodle is a popular figure in their community and is often invited to tailgate parties.
Daniel shared that he and Charles must go to all the tailgate parties at Old Dominion University. He gets a call asking them to return and drop by if they miss one.
Charles’ fame even got Daniel, Natalie and the infamous labradoodle invited to popular show Good Morning America, where they talked about the 911 incidents.
During the appearance, Daniel shared, “I think he knows he’s famous,” with a laugh. When Charles is at home, they shared that he’s casual and laidback, or as far from a lion’s personality as one can be.
We love how cute Charles the Monarch looks with his unique lion cut!
We’re sure the people in his neighborhood are now used to seeing a little lion, which is actually a little labradoodle, walking around their neighborhood.
Daniel also shared that Charles the Monarch is often off-leash and is free to walk and run around their area, greeting people he meets on the street.
Watch why Charles the Monarch and his interesting look caused people to call 911 in the video below!
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