Alan Cook is delighted his five-foot rooster is back in his front yard after a three-month absence.
The 300-pound black bird, made of concrete and rebar, was stolen in October from his Turner Street property. After reporting the theft to police, he spent days distributing posters of his missing chicken and even offered a reward for its safe return.
After months of waiting, Cook had given up any hope of seeing beloved rooster again and two days before Christmas, he thought of ways he could make a replica.
“It’s such a one-of-a-kind piece,” he said.
Cook bought his prized chicken from a collector in Langley many years ago, who had acquired it from an old chicken farm. Cook collects antiques and hasn’t seen anything else like it before.
But on Boxing Day morning, as Cook was letting his dog out, he peered over the porch, as he always did, and was surprised to discover his rooster had come home.
Cook was so excited to see the rooster, he didn’t notice the tip of its beak had been chipped off, or the cracked wing, or its broken toes.
Cook called his family to tell them the good news.
“They knew I was bummed out about it being missing,” said Cook, who isn’t harbouring any bad feelings towards the people that took it.
“It’s a good time of year to give something back,” Cook noted.
After Cook repairs the statue, he will cement and bolt it down to prevent any future thefts.
