Meet the real-life Legolas, a dog who has become a social media sensation thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the Lord of the Rings character.

Four-year-old Afghan Hound Legolas lives with owner Ingrid Plym, 43, in Sweden.

Ingrid, a nurse, picked him up from a breeder when he was just 12 weeks old after losing her first dog to cancer – and it was love at first sight.

She also immediately noticed his resemblance to Legolas, the character played by Hollywood star Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Soon after adopting him, Ingrid began documenting Legolas' life on Instagram, where he has proven a big hit with dog lovers.

The pooch now has 211,400 followers on TikTok and an additional 12,900 fans on Instagram.

"Legolas is a big goofy clown, he can prank me and has a mind of his own," Ingrid told Jam Press.

"He can be a little aloof around new people but he easily warms up to everyone.

"People are always commenting on how much they love him or how much he looks like Legolas."

The Afghan Hound isn't shy about this good looks either, happily posing for the camera – and his followers lap it up.

"I could sit and look at you all day Legolas. You are so handsome," one enamoured fan wrote.

"Man if only I could look this fabulous everyday," added someone else.

"So photogenic!" wrote a third person.

In one photo, which racked up 3,500 likes, Legolas styled his long locks into two adorable pigtails – showing that a Sindar Elf (sorry, dog) can be fabulous too.

Fans especially like his mane, which is eerily similar to the locks Legolas, i.e Orlando Bloom, rocked in the movie franchise – though his was a wig, whereas dog Legolas' is all real.

"You super stud muffin. You have better hair than most humans. Also, your name is spot on!" wrote one person.

"Legolas is gorgeous," another user said.

With such a long mane of hair, Legolas requires lots of grooming.

Ingrid said: "He gets weekly baths and grooming after he's had his bath, too.

"He has special shampoo and conditioner which I use on his hair and it can take about two to three hours every week just to take care of his mane."

And like his namesake, Legolas likes a good adventure and looks after his own.

Ingrid said: "He is very easy to live with, loves to be around his family and follows me on all of my trips.

"He needs to run in an enclosed area a couple of times a week, too.

"I also have a rescue cat called Bianca and four Gerbils and Legolas gets on with them all really well.

"He loves all animals, he just wants to be your friend."

Ingrid credits her "best friend" Legolas for changing her life.

She added: "Legolas means everything to me, he is my best friend and a big part of our family."