One Okanagan woman is baffled after her welcome mat was stolen from her home for the second time.

Joan Sheppard, a Penticton resident, said after her welcome mat was stolen from her residence on Green Avenue in December 2017, she installed a security camera on her front porch. That’s how she was able to recap what exactly happened when it was stolen for a second time on March 13.

“It just says ‘Welcome’ and has a bird on it,” said Sheppard with a laugh when asked what was so special about her mat. “It’s so bizarre, I honestly don’t know. I liked the mat so after it was stolen (in December 2017) I went back and replaced it. And now that’s the one that got stolen again.”

Sheppard said according to her security footage, at just after 10 p.m. a woman and her dog approached her porch. The woman can be seen kneeling down to examine the mat, taking it – with some trouble – and darting off into the night.

“Because it’s been stolen once before, I put duct tape on the back of the mat, sticking it to the cement because it was the only thing I could make work,” said Sheppard. “I painted my address on the back of it because I thought, ‘Well, if it goes missing it will be harder for them to hang onto it.’

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“But when the policeman listened to the tape, he said he could hear her saying, ‘Oh, it’s stuck.’ as she was pulling it up.”

Despite the coincidence that Sheppard has now had the same welcome mat stolen from her property twice, she doesn’t believe she is being targeted. She said although it may seem like a small thing to report, she said these crimes of opportunity are becoming more frequent and homeowners need to stand up for themselves.

“I don’t feel like I’m being targeted, I guess it’s just a nice mat, I don’t know,” said Sheppard. “I know people don’t report stuff like this anymore because there’s just so much property crime. But that was part of why I did report it, because if we don’t start reporting this stuff how are we ever going to get it to stop?

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“People have said on Facebook that they’ve had their garbage can and snow shovel taken, these things are things we all work for. I’m not trying to preach but it’s very frustrating, we need to take our town back from these thieves.”

For now, Sheppard’s porch will remain bare until she decides if she wants to replace the mat for a third time.

“I have one friend saying to just do without a mat, and my son is saying, ‘Well maybe just get a really plain one.’ Because it’s been on Facebook and all over, I’m hoping that maybe I’ll end up with it back,” said Sheppard.

Sheppard added that if the woman simply came back and put the mat back where she found it, she “would be cool with that.”

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