Vandals splattered paint on a local pet shop’s mural created by the owner’s late father, sparking community support to restore it.
SAN ANTONIO — A pet shop on the north side became victims of vandalism over the weekend. The owner of Forever Pets off Basse Road said they discovered paint splattered outside the store Saturday morning.
“The whole front of our door was just splattered with paint, the windows, the iron gate, my father’s mural,” Vivian Louie said.
Her father, Toy Louie, passed away four years ago at the age of 93. He had painted the mural years ago when they moved locations.
“This was the most disheartening thing,” Louie said.
He first opened the business 45 years ago. For the family, the mural was a reminder of his dedication and love for animals.
“It’s fading a little bit, but we want to keep it up because that’s how we keep our dad’s memory alive,” Louie said.
Louie can’t wrap her head around why this happened but decided to post about it on Facebook. The response was immediate from the community as people offered to help.
For now, she says she is trying to figure out how to fix the damage without ruining the mural.
“This was his pride and joy,” Louie said. “We’re just keeping his legacy alive.”
Louie did file a police report with SAPD but said the camera outside unfortunately did not capture the suspect(s). She is hoping to add more surveillance cameras to help prevent this from happening again.
“I don’t know exactly why somebody would want to do that,” Louie said. “Maybe it’s kids? We don’t know.”
If you saw anything suspicious near the store Friday night or early Saturday morning, give SAPD a call.