Police in Mountshannon, Ireland have concluded that sightings of a ‘lion’ in the area were merely a large dog with a fashionable haircut.
In late October 2025, a video circulated across WhatsApp and other social media platforms showing what appeared to be a lion sauntering into the woods around Mountshannon, County Clare, a coastal village on the banks of the Lough Derg in Ireland.
The video, taken from the driver’s seat of a car, showed the backside of a large, golden-brownish creature with a tuft of fur on the end of its tail disappearing into a forest as the driver honked their horn to get its attention.
Naturally, this video sparked a bit of a panic among the local citizenry and even got the attention of local police, who began looking into the matter.
Viral video of ‘lion’ in Ireland was actually a friendly dog
Thankfully, residents needn’t worry about an escaped African big cat in their midst; instead, it turns out the ‘lion’ spotted in the viral video was actually someone’s rather sizable pet dog out for a stroll.
Ireland’s National Police and Security Service posted a photo with the pup on Tuesday, November 4, explaining that the canine was a Newfoundland, a large breed of working dog from the region of the same name near eastern Canada.
It probably looked like a lion on account of its haircut, aptly named the ‘lion cut,’ a popular style for both cats and dogs that mimics the shaggy mane and tufty tail of the big cat species.
“Mystery solved! Turns out the ‘lion’ spotted roaming Clare was just a Newfoundland dog with a fresh haircut!” the department wrote on X.
“Gardaí from Killaloe have concluded that the recent video of a ‘lion like’ animal roaming around the woods in East Clare is in fact the very friendly dog named ‘Mouse.'”
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