Story by Rebecca West
Photos via Duplin County Animal Services/Mary Shannon Johnstone
A few years back, we told you about a dog named Scout in Traverse City, Michigan, that kept escaping the confines of the shelter he was being held in and making his way to a seniors’ home where he’d quietly sidle in in the middle of the night and make himself at home on the sofa in the front reception area. After the third time, the staff there decided it was a sign and kept the dog, much to the delight of the residents.
They took to the animal with such enthusiasm that they started keeping dog biscuits in their bedside tables and carrying them around in their pockets. The story of Scout was so popular that it made the rounds across the country for years after the events unfolded. We were just one of many publications to report on the incident well after the fact. But good stories seldom die days or weeks after they surface. They live on to capture our attention and hearts for years to come.
The same can be said for the story of Sisu, a sweet, stray dog in Kenansville, North Carolina, who repeatedly snuck into a Dollar General to steal the same purple unicorn. In this case, the events transpired in the Spring of 2021, and the story resurfaced in late 2025, never having completely faded away. But Sisu was no thief in the night. He was making his brazen attempts at larceny in broad daylight, unlike Scout’s escapades, which were conducted under the cover of darkness.
As the story goes, Sisu, described as a Lab mix and estimated to be 1 year old at the time of his “crimes,” coveted a purple-and-red-stuffed unicorn on display within the store. Each time the automatic doors slid open for a customer to exit or enter, he would sneak in and make a beeline for his beloved purple unicorn. The thing is, the unicorn wasn’t front and center or on display in the window. Rather, it was in the back of the store in a section where Easter decorations had been arranged.
After repeatedly trying to abscond with what would become his purple pal, store employees finally called animal control to come and pick him up. Here’s where the heart-warming story really heats up. Responding to the call that day was Duplin County Animal Services Officer Samantha Lane.
Upon arrival at the Dollar General, located approximately 80 miles outside of Raleigh, she was apprised of the situation and prepared to take Sisu with her. But before she left, she purchased the $10 purple plushie so that Sisu wouldn’t have to be parted from it, and off they went.
Once the media got wind of the story, it rocketed around the city, then the state, and before you knew it, it made the news everywhere. After his brief stay at Animal Services, Sisu was initially intended to travel to Lab Rescue LRCP to receive weeks of training for his behavioral issues. But only a short time later, he and his purple pal reportedly found a forever home!
Before that happened, however, members of the Duplin County Animal Services noted that not only did Sisu drag his toy with him everywhere, but it seems he was particular about the condition it was in. Apparently, he was not happy about it getting soiled, and when the unicorn got dirty, he wouldn’t touch it.
“We’ve had to wash it a bunch. If it’s dirty, he puts it off to the side and just stares at it. But once you wash it, he’ll lay on it,” they were quoted as saying at the time.
Because the dog was considered a stray when all of this first occurred, no one knew what he’d been called before. So, shelter workers decided to give him the moniker Sisu, named after the dragon in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.
As it turns out, Sisu is a unique Finnish concept embodying extraordinary determination, resilience, grit, and courage, often described as a strength of will to persevere through extreme adversity when one feels they have exhausted all other reserves. It’s said to be a deep-seated part of Finnish culture, representing the ability to continue pushing forward against seemingly impossible odds. Sounds about right.
