Nearly $4,000 raised to repair iconic Frederick dog statue following vandalism

Jan. 11—An iconic, circa-1850s statue of a dog standing watch in downtown Frederick was severely damaged by a vandal Tuesday morning when a person pushed the dog off its base, severing two of its legs.

The damage comes more than a year after the statue needed a $12,000 restoration that left the dog absent from its post outside Federated Charities for nearly a year.

The dog, dubbed "Charity," was vandalized just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to city police spokesman Allen Etzler. Elin Ross, executive director of Federated Charities, said she discovered the vandalism shortly after arriving for work just before 8:30 a.m.

Typically, Charity stands affixed to the front of the South Market Street building, welded to a base on the building's front stairwell, where he has stood more or less consistently since 1858.

But on Tuesday morning, Ross said she arrived to see Charity on the ground in front of the building. One of its legs remained attached to the base, while a second was ripped off both the statue and the base.

Ross said it was an emotional experience.

"I was a bit weepy," she admitted during a phone call. "The crying is over now; now I'm just mad."

According to Etzler, a suspect is already known to city police but could not be identified until charges have been finalized.

Ross said the incident was captured on the outdoor security cameras of neighboring Wag's Restaurant, and it seemed as though the individual managed to get enough force to shove Charity off its stand.

The response to the vandalism, Ross said, was both anger and a desire to help out. Charity's famed status is well-known in the city, as is the Federated Charities' mission to support a wide breadth of community services.

"This is a safety net that's available to anyone in our community, and to think that someone would damage anyone's property in this way, but particularly this property, that's why it resonates for so many people," Ross said.

A fundraiser was quickly launched on the Federated Charities' Facebook page; as of roughly 4:30 p.m., the initiative had already raised more than $4,000 to put toward Charity's restoration. Ross said Charity is insured, but she is unsure how much money would be available from insurance or how much it will cost to restore Charity to its former glory.

While Ross said she is upset about the damage to the noted dog, she also said the vandalism helps to highlight the need for what Federated Charities does.

"This isn't going to stop us from doing this work," she said. "If anything, it's an indicator of the tremendous need in this community. This wouldn't stop us from serving this person; someone who does something like this needs help from a non-profit in our community."

From its perch on South Market Street, Charity has observed 164 years of Frederick history — nearly 1,150 dog years — after being purchased by the building's owner, John Williams, in 1858 for $45. The dog's name is a more recent development, only being dubbed Charity in 1989. Ross said Charity has become a literal touchstone of Frederick, saying she's seen countless people stop for a photo with the dog or give him a scratch behind the ears.

Charity — sculpted as a Chesapeake Bay retriever — recently had to undergo a restoration to fix damage rust had caused to his feet, leading Charity to be absent from his post for 327 days starting in the summer of 2020. Ross said people "really missed" Charity during that time.

Charity has been a victim of vandalism previously, with past reporting from The Frederick News-Post showing vandals removed its head and tail.

Follow Patrick Kernan on Twitter: @PatKernan