NEWCASTLE (CBS13) – What’s black and white and running around all over in a Newcastle backyard? It’s a little girl’s birthday present, what else?

How cute is a little girl and her new puppy? There’s no way dad can top that birthday present. Unless, of course he goes out and buys something slightly more exotic.

“Yeah, that’s a zebra,” Brettany Lawton’s dad said.

A new addition, 10-year-old Brettany’s new pet.

Her reaction when she saw him?

“And I was just like, I couldn’t talk for like five minutes,” she said Tuesday as she showed off her present.

Now she can’t stop talking about her unusual birthday gift.

“Did you think you were dreaming?” CBS13’s Tony Lopez asked her.

“Yes.”

That dream gets a little more interesting. See, the zebra comes with a sidekick – and we do mean kick.

Yes, it’s an attention-hogging donkey. See, this little Shrek character helps the zebra not be an ogre, having a calming effect on his striped pal.

Both share a craving for carrots and affection.

Plus, dad thinks this out-of-the-box birthday gift comes with a life lesson.

“It teaches her some responsibility too,” he said. “I want her to come out and do something, give him water and feed him every day.”

So what’s next? Any other special animal requests?

“Oh, actually a giraffe,” she said.

Why stop there?

“Panda.”

But for now it’ll stay a dog, donkey and a zebra, gifts for a girl who had a 10th birthday she won’t ever forget.