When animal control was called to take care of a stray dog who kept breaking into the store for a plushie, the officer in charge decided to make the canine's dreams come true.
Dogs are widely considered to be man's best friend. But for one dog, it's not a human but a stuffed purple unicorn that he considers his best buddy. And he's got a photo shoot to prove it.
According to CNN, employees at a Dollar General store in Kenansville, North Carolina, noticed a Labrador mix stray dog constantly finding his way into the premises. He would wait for customers to exit to make his way inside. But what was more surprising was that he would head directly to the toys section and pick up a plushy purple unicorn toy every single time. This weird ritual happened five times, and the workers knew they had to call animal control. Joe Newburn, a supervisor at Duplin County Animal Services, said to People, "Finally, they had to lock the door and called us. He went straight for the unicorn, the same one every time. It was so strange, one of the strangest calls I've ever dealt with."
An officer by the name of Samantha Lane was dispatched to pick up the stray dog. While one might think that her arrival would mean the end of the canine's friendship with his favorite toy, it certainly wasn't the case. Instead, the moment turned immensely heartwarming when Lane bought the $10 toy for the canine. Newburn stated that the dog happily followed the kind officer once he got to be with his beloved stuffed friend. Lane then brought him to a Duplin County Animal Services shelter where the workers dubbed him Sisu, the animated dragon character in Disney's recent film, Raya and the Last Dragon, according to HuffPost.
Pictures of Sisu and his best friend were posted on the shelter's Facebook page with the caption, "This is what happens when you break into the dollar general consistently to steal the purple unicorn that you laid claim to but then get animal control called to lock you up for your B & E and larceny but the officer purchases your item for you and brings it in with you." They also revealed that besides being a kleptomaniac and using his plushie as a cuddle buddy, Sisu was “sassy with other dogs” but “very obedient” with humans and could follow simple commands such as sit, stay, and heel.
"It's so sweet. It's amazing. I mean, he's obviously super smart, and even when we got him to the animal shelter, he's been very obedient. He sits, shakes. Someone should be looking for him," Newburn told People. "I don't know of any other reason why he would focus on the unicorn other than he had one at home. If the store had called and said he tore open dog food, that would make more sense but not hunting for a purple unicorn."
Before long, Sisu's touching story went viral and many clamored to adopt him. The very next day, the animal shelter announced their photoshoot of the duo and that Sisu had found a forever home.
According to the Daily Mail, Dollar General's corporate office was also moved by the innocent story and shared that the company planned to donate to the county's animal services. "We are paws-itively thrilled that Sisu is enjoying his new toy! We are also grateful for Animal Control Officer Lane in helping to rescue him," read a statement. "To show our appreciation, we plan to provide the Duplin County Animal Services with a pet food donation and Officer Lane with a special thank you gift, as well as a few extra of Sisu's beloved purple unicorns to his eventual adoptive family."
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/27/us/dog-steals-purple-unicorn-gets-adopted-trnd/index.html
https://people.com/pets/dog-stealing-unicorn-toy-from-dollar-general-store-rescued-north-carolina/
https://www.facebook.com/DUPLINCOUNTYANIMALSERVICES/photos/3726952724007625
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stray-dog-unicorn-dollar-general_n_605bbdcfc5b67593e0554dbb
Cover image source: Facebook | Duplin County Animal Services
