I found a simple on device work around that doesn't require any additional software or apps. Instead of considering the GIF to be an animated PHOTO, instead think of it as a FILE. So instead of selecting the 'Add to Photos' option we need to select the 'Download Linked File' option. Once it's downloaded as a file, open it in the iOS FILES app and then 'Share' it and 'Save Image.'
Browsing gifs from the Google Image search page won't normally give you an option to 'Download Linked File' so you'll need to click 'Visit' to go to the web page where the photo is actually being displayed.
Esimed
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