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Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

That's a common piece of advice that many people keep in mind when sifting through news and social media posts online.

But animal lovers around the world were horrified after seeing a dog that looked as if his entire face was badly burned.

"This poor dog was badly burned and disfigured trying to save his family from a house fire. One like = one prayer, one share = ten prayers," Stephen Roseman wrote on Facebook under a photo of the dog.

Thousands of people responded, sending prayers and love for the believed-to-be-suffering dog.

While many found the hoax funny, others felt like they were duped and voiced outrage. Still, the photo of the dog continues to be shared.

"This isn't even my dog," Roseman wrote eventually. "I found this picture on Fascistbook, stole it and decided to use it in a prank to fool (people). (People) left and right (fell) for it, and those that didn't, seem to think they have a superior intelligence or something for pointing out the obvious."