Earlier this week, a woman took to Facebook, claiming she'd found a dog on the side of a road in Omagh, Northern Ireland.
She shared a snap of the creature describing him as "snappy and angry".
The woman, named Melissa Kim, went on to say that she'd taken the animal home with her but he was being rather "wicked" and she hoped to find his owners soon, reported Belfast Live.
She wrote: "Dog found: No collar. Found this poor dog eating a dead rabbit by the side of the Dublin road in Omagh.
"He's a little snappy and angry, struggled getting him into my car think it’s some kind of husky mix... He's in my kitchen now and quite wicked. Please share this so we can find his owners."
People who saw the post were quick to warn the woman that the photo she'd shared wasn't of a dog, but of a fox.
They urged her to get it out of her house as soon as she could.
Melissa responded to some of the comments saying she was "kinda scared" and that she couldn't believe she'd gotten it so wrong.
Her 'mistake' was shared far and wide, with someone writing on Twitter : "I really wish this was a joke but I genuinely think this poor woman kidnapped a fox". The tweet has so far gained more than 44,000 likes.
But it turns out there's much more to the viral post than meets the eye.
After garnering so much attention, Melissa admitted that she hadn't really taken in a wild animal, it was just meant to be a joke.
She said: "It was a wee wind up that I didn't see getting so much attention. I genuinely thought people would know that it was a joke.
"I saw an old story that circulated a few years ago about a coyote presenting itself as an injured dog, so I took that photo and though so I'd add a little humour to the story."
So it turns out the image was of neither a dog or a fox - it's a coyote!
Melissa's prank even got the better of some of her closest pals, who believed she really had taken the animal home.
"It would genuinely be something they would think I'd actually have done," she explained.
"It wouldn't be the first time I'd have rescued an animal or two."
She added that the post was meant to give people a laugh during this difficult time and she feels like it's been successful in doing just that.
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