Life on the streets is tough, but a stray dog named Sisu knew it would be a little less lonely if he had the comfort of a fuzzy purple unicorn.
Sisu wanted the plush toy more than anything in the world — even if he had to steal it.
Last week, Sisu broke into a North Carolina Dollar General five times, attempting to swipe the unicorn toy. But every time he grabbed it, an employee would spot him, take the toy away and place it back on the shelf. When it became apparent that Sisu would not give up, the Dollar General employee called Duplin County Animal Services for help.
“We got a call from our communications center that [Sisu] was at a Dollar General going in and taking a unicorn, and he’d done this five times,” Joe Newburn, the supervisor at Duplin County Animal Services, told The Dodo. “So, finally, they had to lock the door and not let him in. When my officer got there and found out he wanted the unicorn really bad, she purchased it.”
For animal control officer Samantha Lane, buying the toy just seemed like the right thing to do. “She was just buying the unicorn because that’s what she does,” Newburn said. “Every animal she comes in contact with she does that for.”
Nobody knows why Sisu is so obsessed with the unicorn, but they think he may associate it with his former home. And now that the 1-year-old dog finally has the toy of his dreams, he’s not letting it go.
“He’s always with that thing,” Newburn said. “The only time he doesn’t mess with it is when it gets dirty. But once you wash it and clean it up, it’s back to being his buddy again.”
Sisu and his unicorn are on their way to the Lab Rescue of North Carolina, which will help him with his aggression issues towards other male dogs. And once he’s cleared, he’ll travel to his forever home.
“He’s a real good dog,” Newburn said. “He likes to play and he’s very smart. He sits, stays, shakes hands. He’s very well mannered.”