A photo of a seemingly “headless” dog has taken social media by storm, leaving viewers confused, amused, and downright mind-boggled.

Shared widely across Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, the viral image shows a dog in a pose that, at first glance, appears to be missing its head. Commenters flooded the post with reactions like, “I still can’t figure it out,” and “Make it stop… my brain hurts!”

But don’t worry—the dog is very much intact.

It’s all just a clever optical illusion. The pup had turned its head to lick itself just as the photo was snapped. Adding to the confusion, the dog had previously lost one of its front legs, and the scar left behind looked eerily like a missing head.

A second, clearer photo of the same dog later confirmed what some had already guessed: no magic, no Photoshop—just perfectly bad timing and a tricky angle.

And this isn’t the only photo stirring confusion. Another viral image featured two dogs in such a way that one appeared oddly distorted. After a few seconds of puzzled scrolling, most viewers realized it was just one pup tilting its head at a strange angle.

Both images serve as a fun reminder that not everything on the internet is what it seems—especially when it comes to pets and perception. Were you fooled, too?