SEQUIM — The statue of Stolli the dog is back watching over her corner at Hendrickson and Priest roads.
After a weird turn of events and several months of waiting, Kevin Cassidy, Stolli’s owner, once again installed a statue memorializing his beloved dog on March 16 in front of his business A2Z Fencing at 1162 W. Washington St.
Stolli, a 12 ½-year old dog who died on Aug. 31, 2016, was a well-known fixture to nearby drivers and Olympic Discovery Trail users who would see her lying in the sun.
The Cassidy family installed a dog statue and bench to memorialize Stolli in October 2016, but last August the statue was stolen while the family was on vacation.
Cassidy obtained the stolen statue from Adam Eli Lux of Sequim who gave it back to him broken in a cardboard box.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lux on Aug. 10 last year and charged him with third-degree theft, third-degree malicious mischief and third-degree possession of stolen property,
Court documents state Lux pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of stolen property on Oct. 10, 2017, and in exchange for a guilty plea, his theft and malicious mischief charges were dismissed. He served 25 days in jail
Due to the amount of outstanding legal financial obligations Lux owed, court documents state, he was not required to pay any fines, but he was required to pay restitution in an amount to be determined.
Cassidy said he has not seen any restitution but if he does he plans to donate the money to an animal agency.
Jen Frame, co-moderator of the Sequim community page on Facebook, helped organize a fund with help from Shenna Younger, branch manager of the Sequim Avenue First Federal, to replace the statue.
The statue cost a little more than $442. The “Stolli Statue Fund” received $1,093 in donations. Facebook users voted on which groups to donate the remainder of the funds.
Both the Clallam County Humane Society and WAG, Welfare for Animals Guild, received $324.87 each, leaving $1 in the bank.
Cassidy said he was just going to order another statue but when he learned of the outpouring of community support he “figured I’d let them help out.”
Frame ordered the replacement statue on Sept. 12, 2017, but the statue when received was the wrong color — chocolate — so it was returned and reordered on Oct. 10, and placed on back order for more than five months.
Cassidy received it earlier this month and to ensure theft and vandalism would be much more difficult, he poured a concrete slab and adhered landscaping epoxy between the statue and concrete to keep it in place.
Seeing the statue in place is “heart warming,” Frame said.
Cassidy said at least a few people stop by daily to see the statue.
Stolli was adopted by the Cassidy family in May 2004 at eight weeks old. She was an active dog who went camping and played with the family’s four children, the family said.
She was diagnosed with arthritis and the beginnings of kidney failure about eight years ago, so family members let her be relaxing in the sun by the road.
Following Stolli’s death, community members left flowers, cards, toys and more by her spot leading the family to install the first statue and bench.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Kevin Cassidy installed a new Stolli the dog statue on March 16 after the previous one was stolen and broken. It memorialized his dog who often sat on the corner of Hendrickson and Priest roads and interacted with locals. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula New Group)
Stolli the dog died on Aug. 31, 2016, but Sequim residents came together to fund a statue to place by the dog’s favorite spot in front of her family’s business. (Teresa Cassidy)
