The wolf is back at the door.

A Smiths Falls business owner says her faith in the community has been restored after social media followers boosted her plea for help in recovering a mascot stolen from in front of her building.

Howling Designs, which produces and sells decals, clothing and awards is located at 10 Maple Avenue. On Sept. 22 owner Sara Foley posted a notice on social media asking for help in finding a wolf sculpture missing from its usual place.

The sculpture, weighing close to 150 pounds, was chained and locked in place, meaning that thieves had to cut both the chain and lock to steal it.

“We worked hard to put this up and it’s really important to me,” said Foley in a video posted after the wolf was found and returned to the business, less than 24 hours after it went missing. “I have no idea why somebody would do something like this.”

Foley’s Facebook appeal described her frustration over three years in business at the Maple Avenue location with acts of vandalism, including littering, putting garbage in the owner’s dumpster, and then leaving garbage on the ground after the dumpster was locked.

The post went on to state that: “Someone tried to steal our wolf a few months ago but did not succeed. They were caught off guard by the chain we had cast into it to lock it to the flower bed and dropped it against the building, breaking off the muzzle. Last night we assume the same individuals returned, with bolt cutters and succeeded in stealing our beloved wolf. We would like our property returned to us.”

This post was shared 129 times by Facebook users in a short time. The business owners assume the thieves realized they were the object of a serious search effort, and abandoned the stolen sculpture. It was found on a path behind Le Boat by local resident Ken Maidment, who also used social media to announce the wolf had been found. 

In her Sept. 23 video, Foley said, “You guys have restored my faith in the community.”

Article by Chris Must