Yes, Madeline, You Can Have a Unicorn, L.A. County Tells Girl - The New York Times
By: Amanda Holpuch (nytimes)
It really doesn't get any better than this!
No trolls allowed!
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Animal control officials issued a license to a 6-year-old in search of a unicorn on the condition that she feed it watermelon and give it "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows."
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control gave Madeline a heart-shaped license tag and stuffed unicorn to look after while she searches for a unicorn of her own. Credit...Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, via Associated Press
Dec. 9, 2022
A California girl has overcome one hurdle in her search for a magical creature: permission from Los Angeles County animal control officials to look after a unicorn in her backyard.
In a handwritten letter dated Nov. 14, the girl, identified only as Madeline, wrote to Los Angeles County and asked it to allow her to look after a unicorn at home, should she succeed in corralling one.
"I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one," Madeline, 6, wrote. "Please send me a letter in response."
On Nov. 30, Marcia Mayeda, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, wrote back. Ms. Mayeda said she had approved a unicorn license for Madeline and listed the county's five conditions for unicorn licensing.
Unicorn owners must feed their unicorn watermelon, "one of its favorite treats," once a week, she said, and polish the unicorn's horn "at least once a month with a soft cloth."
In addition to the dietary and grooming requirements, the unicorn must have "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows."
"Any sparkles or glitter used on the unicorn must be nontoxic and biodegradable to ensure the unicorn's good health," she said.
Beyond the sparkles and moonbeams, the unicorn must also be cared for in compliance with Title 10 of the Los Angeles County Code, which governs animal control and health, she said.
The Animal Care and Control Department also issued Madeline a heart-shaped unicorn license tag and gave her a stuffed unicorn to look after while she searches for a unicorn of her own, noting that the creatures "are indeed very rare to find."
The department shared the letter, the license and the stuffed unicorn on Instagram and Facebook on Tuesday, redacting Madeline's last name from the posts.
Ms. Mayeda declined to arrange an interview with Madeline or her family because she does not yet know that her license request has been approved; her mother thought the license would be a good birthday present later this month. All Madeline knows, Ms. Mayeda said in an interview on Friday, is that she is going to visit an animal care center to talk about her unicorn application.
Ms. Mayeda said that Madeline's mother told her that she did not want to discourage her daughter when she asked for a unicorn, and suggested that she might need permission from the authorities to look after one.
"Madeline said, 'OK,' and she marched off and an hour later she came back and said, 'Will you help me mail this?'" Ms. Mayeda said.
When the letter arrived, Ms. Mayeda said, it provided a boost to people in the department — people whose jobs can sometimes be difficult because they see bad cases of animal abuse or of people harmed by animals.
"It just made everybody's day at our offices when we got that," she said of Madeline's note. "It was just the cutest thing."
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The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control posted this notice on its Facebook Page:
If you don't love this story there is definitely something wrong with you!
I absolutely love this story. I always look for and once in a while find a heartwarming or good news story whenever I can and post it - even created a new group to post them - "Good NON-POLITICAL Articles".
This story is just too sweet all the way around. First of all, I have a daughter, Madeline, who would have done the same due diligence as this Madeline did, so it really touches my heart. The fact that LA county would respond in such an adorable way just puts a big smile on my face. Thanks for such an adorable story.
My pleasure.
I know that everyone is very happy that one of our county officials responded in this way. It's pretty extraordinary, and it just makes things worthwhile.
Morning.... hope for Humanity yet..
🦄🦄🦄🦄
Ms. Mayeda showed us that, as did Madeline.
Unicorns - AOK+++
Trolls - NOOOO!!!
LOL... in the real and fantasy world I agree.
What a feel-good story! Ms. Mayeda certainly has contributed something intangible but so very important ... self-confidence. Ms. Mayeda also went the extra yard. I love her.
Madeline at 2 6:
So do I.
My heart just melted into a puddle of goo.
That's exactly how I felt, too.
Life lesson.
What a great story. Kudos to Ms. Mayeda and the folks in Animal Control.
I'm sure that Madaline is thrilled and taking wonderful care of her Unicorn.
I can't believe I missed this!
What a great story! Good on the LA County Animal Control. They probably thought it was too cute, too
Mrs. Gee really loved this story.