© Stephen M. Katz | The Virginian-PilotMeet Charles, a Labradoodle shaved like a lion.
Although it was actually a uniquely groomed dog roaming loose, three callers to 911 on Tuesday reported a baby lion, the city of Norfolk said today.
Two calls came after 10 a.m. on Granby Street near the zoo and on Llewellyn Avenue.
About 1:20 p.m., another 911 caller reported seeing a baby lion on Colley Avenue at 50th Street.
"I'd like to report a lion sighting," one caller said.
"Say that again?" a dispatcher replied.
In the call near the zoo, a woman said, "There was a lion that ran across the street - a baby lion. It was about the size of a Labrador retriever." Another caller said, "I don't know if it got away from the zoo or what."
The dog, a Labrador-poodle mix named Charles the Monarch, is owned by Daniel Painter, who owns a garden shop on Colley Avenue where the dog is regularly seen. Painter said he has the dog groomed to look like the Old Dominion University mascot.
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