A Guelph woman is appealing for help to get a sentimental statue back after someone stole a piece from her porch that honours her late father. Security camera video shows someone taking the statue off Heather Cowbrough’s property in the city’s Onward Willow neighbourhood early Monday morning. “I just started crying right away when I watched her walking away with him, because you can see his face in the security footage of him just being held and taken away,” Cowbrough said. The statue of a dog Cowbrough named Murray—the same name as her late father—sat in the corner of her porch for the past four years. She purchased it at a store in St. Jacobs after looking for something to sit in the place where her father used to sit every day. “We were talking about it, how the porch felt so empty for a month or so and we needed something. And then I was at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, and he was just sitting there, you know, he was sitting there looking right at me. And so, I contacted my neighbour and I was like, ‘Is this what we’ve been looking for?’ And she’s like, ‘Absolutely.’ And he came home with me, and he’s been up there ever since,” Cowbrough said. Cowbrough said the location on the porch also holds meaning because it was where her father passed away. “My father, for the last ten years of his life, sat on this porch talking with neighbours, petting dogs, really socializing because he couldn’t do much more than that. And this is where he died. Unfortunately, he had his final heart attack here on the porch, and his life ended here. So having that dog there really meant everything to me, to remember him, because my daughters and I were out here when this happened. And we weren’t able to save him,” Cowbrough said. Cowbrough posted online about the statue being taken, and says the community has responded by offering whatever help they can. “Dan, a wonderful community member who is always out and about ... saw my posts about my missing memorial dog and he got very passionate to find the dog because he is the one that did CPR on my dad that night and wasn’t able to save him. And finding this dog means probably just as much to him as it does to me,” Cowbrough said. “The outreach that we’ve got from the community, the comments on the post, have really brought us some comfort this week. Just getting some messages from people we’ve never even heard of before—people that went to high school with my dad, for example—has just been really comforting for us,” said Sarah Congi, Cowbrough’s sister. Congi said the dog always reminded her of the times she saw her father sitting on the porch. She hopes wherever it is, it is not harmed and will be returned. “The porch does feel a little empty. But if Murray isn’t brought back, we’ll figure out something else to do. To have some sort of memorial there for him moving forward for us and for all of our neighbours in this community,” Congi said. Guelph police are investigating and say the video will assist with the case. “The impact and the value to that family is immeasurable,” said Scott Tracey, media relations coordinator for the Guelph Police Service. Tracey said this kind of theft is something police see frequently. “It’s something that we do sort of see on a continuous basis. Crimes of opportunity, thefts of opportunity like this where people come onto other people’s property and take whatever they can, whatever is available. I don’t know that I can say over a time period that it’s increasing, but it’s certainly not unusual. We do encourage people, when these things happen, to call the police at the time, if possible, if you see any suspicious activity in the neighbourhood,” Tracey said. “If the person who took it sees this, just know that you need help. And I hope you reach out to get the help that you need. Because stealing someone else’s stuff is not the answer to your problems. It just causes more. And I hope that Murray the dog brings you as much joy as he did to me and my family,” Cowbrough said. Tracey said anyone who knows who is responsible or has seen the statue is asked to contact Guelph police or Crime Stoppers.
