Adorable photo of Ebola nurse's dog Bentley is adorable, but not Bentley

In what provided a welcome, if brief, diversion from the day's terrifying Ebola news, Twitter users questioned the authenticity of an adorable photo (below) that purported to show Bentley, the dog who was quarantined earlier this week after being rescued from the apartment of Nina Pham, a 26-year-old Ebola-infected nurse.

The image — published Wednesday by the Daily Mail and New York Post — appeared to show the year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel soaking wet in a bathtub. The Daily Mail credited Pham's Pinterest page for the image; the Post credited the Daily Mail.

The Post also tweeted the photo, which was promptly retweeted more than 500 times.

But the irresistible image was quickly determined by (b)eagle-eyed observers to be an old photo. A reverse image search turned up 79 instances of the photo appearing online since June 2013.

It wasn't long before "bath-time Bentley" was debunked.

Representatives for the Post and Daily Mail did not immediately return requests seeking comment on the misrepresentation, but both newspapers later pulled the photo from their Bentley dispatches.

On Monday, Bentley was extracted from Pham's apartment by Dallas Animal Services and quarantined at Hensley Field, an abandoned naval air base.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are no known cases of dogs or cats spreading the Ebola virus, but authorities said he would be monitored closely for symptoms. Sana Syed, public information officer for the City of Dallas, has been tweeting regular updates on Bentley's condition.

Pham, who was among more than 70 hospital workers who cared for a Liberian man who died from Ebola, is being treated in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. She was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon.