Stray dog kept stealing a stuffed unicorn from a store, so animal control bought it for him

Thieves are usually apprehended by the police. But for this four-legged shoplifter, the authorities had to make an exception.

A big stray dog couldn’t keep his mouth and paws away from a stuffed purple unicorn at the Dollar General store in Kenansville, North Carolina. And since he had no owner to buy it for him, the pup had to resort to “illegal” methods.

Every time a customer exited, the dog would dart into the store and go straight into the toy aisle to grab it. The Lab mix kept going back inside to steal the same stuffed purple unicorn, doing it on five different occasions!

It was evident that he really wanted that unicorn. But business is business, so a Dollar General store employee was forced to lock their door and ask help from the Duplin County Animal Control to take the thieving dog away.

But the pup ended up getting what he wanted after all. Samantha Lane—the officer who responded to the store’s call—purchased the $10 stuffed toy for him!

The adorable thief was so happy to head off with the officer once he got his beloved stuffed animal.

Officer Lane brought the dog in with his new best friend to a Duplin County Animal Services shelter. The workers then named him Sisu after the dragon cartoon character in the new Disney film “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

As soon as he arrived, the shelter posted pictures of the adorable pair on Facebook, hoping that potential adopters would find him.

“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,” the department’s Facebook post said.

According to the post, Sisu was about a year old and weighed 67.1 lbs. They also described him as “sassy with other dogs and will not tolerate any backtalk.”

But the pup was “very obedient with people” and understands commands such as lay and heel.

Turns out, Sisu didn’t have to wait long. The post about him and his unicorn went viral. And just a day after, someone from the North Carolina Lab Rescue adopted him!

It’s a mystery why Sisu was so drawn to the unicorn, but they had one plausible theory.

“The only thing we can think is that he came from a home where he had a similar stuffed animal or kids in the home did,” said Joe Newburn, a supervisor at Duplin County Animal Services.

He also said that Officer Lane has always done these kinds of generous acts toward animals.

“This isn’t something new to her, it’s just a different dog, but yes, she’s always doing this stuff for the animals,” Newburn told PEOPLE. “It was so strange, one of the strangest calls I’ve ever dealt with.”

More surprises are in store for Sisu, as the Dollar General’s corporate office said they will send him more purple unicorns to cuddle with.

They also plan to donate pet food to the Duplin County Animal Services and give Officer Lane a “special thank you gift” for her kindness.

“We are glad to see Sisu is happy with his new toy!” Dollar General spokesperson Crystal Luce told PEOPLE.

Due to the power of social media spreading the story, Sisu and his unicorn, were quickly adopted one day later, according to animal services.

What a cute story! Make your friends and family smile by sharing this story with them.