Iconic statue was stolen from Lake at the Commons between April 30 and May 1 

Anyone who has ever walked around the east side of Lake at Tualatin Commons may have noticed the bronze sculpture “Girl with Ice Cream Cone,” a whimsical statue of a girl holding her frozen treat high in the air to keep a hungry hound from chowing down on it. 

Until a month ago, the iconic statue (which was recently moved to the west side of the lake to accommodate the Veterans Plaza artwork of sculptor Douwe Blumberg) had sat in the same spot for more than a quarter of a century.

That is until someone stole it sometime between April 30 and the morning of May 1, according to Tualatin Police.

Created by Oregon sculptor Peter Helzer in 1999, the roughly 120-pound piece of artwork had just gone through a refurbishing process.

And while the sculptor has created an estimated 200 pieces for parks and public spaces throughout Oregon and Washington, the artwork held special meaning for him. 

“The piece was inspired by my daughter, Alison, and our golden retriever,” Helzer wrote in an email. “Our golden retriever was always a bit overly enthusiastic about sharing food, and Alison was in no mood to share her ice cream.”

Not only did the thief or thieves swipe the girl but also the nuts and bolts that secured her to the bench.  

A Tualatin police spokesperson said the department has no leads on who may have taken the statue. Julie Ludemann, recreation manager for Tualatin Parks and Recreation, said the city is in the process of working with Helzer to create a replacement.

“The original was much easier to sculpt because I had my daughter as a model,” said the sculptor, who produces his creations in the foothills of the Caapooyia Range in Dexter. “I’ll need to work from photographs to complete a replacement.”

Having created so many pieces over the years, the prolific sculptor said his artwork is occasionally stolen, adding that thieves often mistakenly think the metal from such pieces is valuable. 

However, they are often caught when bringing those pieces to scrapyards, he said.

“I always feel bad when a sculpture (mine or anyone’s) is stolen from any public space. This one hits close to home because it is my daughter,” Helzer said. 

Still, he hopes to have a replacement in place by August. 

In the interim, the city is asking residents to make lemonade out of lemons while the city awaits the new sculpture.

“We are encouraging community members to share photos of themselves interacting with the dog sculpture as a way to make the best of the situation,” said Ludemann, asking them to tag them on the city’s Facebook page.