GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Joe Dainelis had about an hour left of work before his day ended Thursday when the call came in.

A tiger was resting in a driveway on the Southwest Side of Grand Rapids, a concerned neighbor reported. Dainelis has seen his share of strange circumstances and illegal exotic animals working with Kent County Animal Control.

Dainelis arrived May 28 to find just what the neighbor had described -- the same shape, colors and form of a tiger, resting in the driveway of a vacant home. In cell phone photos he took from a safe distance back, it seemed real, albeit quite young.

"I thought, 'No way, it can't be,'" Dainelis said.

Dainelis laughs at the situation this morning after a co-worker on scene Thursday night discovered the creature was a realistic, life-sized toy. He knows he will face some ribbing around the office over the next few days.

"This darn stuffed animal, its head is facing away," he said.

On Thursday night, he went back to his vehicle to get a ring pole and a door he had removed from a cage to use as a shield. He knew if he was about to wrangle a tiger, the call would be one he'd remember for quite some time. He notified dispatch that police officers would be needed on scene to help manage the situation.

Animal Control Officer Rachel Jensen walked around the back to see if there was a fence or anything containing the area.

When Jensen emerged, she wore a broad smile. There was no denying it, with an up-close view, the creature was fake.

The news soon spread to other residents in the area who had seen the commotion and were genuinely concerned. It had fooled them, too.

Earlier in the day, Jensen had responded to a report of a dog that had been inside a crate for weeks, lacking food and water. She had arrived to find only a statue. The two knew they had to find some humor in this situation. In this job, with so many sad sights, laughter can be rare, Dainelis said.

The two made light of the discovery and did the only thing they could think to do: "impound" the stuffed creature until they find a good home with a child.