San Diego

Owners Reunited with Beloved Sculpture Dino-Knapped from Clairemont Home

A couple has been reunited with their prized possession just two days after it was stolen from their front yard.

"Trixie the Triceratops," named after a Toy Story character, is a social media star and a fixture in the Clairemont neighborhood. But for two days it was the subject of a city-wide manhunt.

"We were kind of devastated the past couple of days,” owner Patrick Border said. The impressions of Trixie’s feet left in the stone were still visible Monday 48 hours after it was stolen.

Border says Trixie is a Ricardo Breceda original. Breceda is a well-known Mexican metal sculptor who has crafted many popular metalworks in Southern California.

Though valuable, the sculpture holds a much higher emotional value to Patrick and his wife Victoria, and the community. Trixie has its own Instagram page with thousands of followers all over the world.

"She had a Santa hat for Christmas. Thanksgiving we got here a blow-up turkey to be next to, Halloween we got here a witch hat with a nose," Victoria said.

It's easy to imagine Clairmont's devastation when Trixie was reported stolen. Al that anguish came to an end on Monday, though, and NBC 7 cameras were rolling.

Trixie was spotted next to an abandoned sofa near the highway just behind the wall in the back section Lindbergh Neighborhood Park, just one mile from the Borders' yard. It was spotted by a passerby who had heard about the theft in news reports.

Robert Anaya said his wife called him during a walk through the park and said she found Trixie and may have seen the people who took the dino.

"She said she saw two guys unloading it and she recognized it as the sculpture," Anaya said.

Soon, it was scooped up from the park and brought back home.

The Border's may have tempted fate by leaving Trixie unsecured in their front yard but they won't let this bad deed overshadow the joy that a sculpture of herbivorous ceratopsid from the Cretaceous period brings 68 million years after it walked the earth.

"I am just overjoyed that she is back. Look, she's smiling," Victoria said.

Victoria is less concerned about who took it or why, but credits Trixie's followers and the Clairemont Community for getting the word out and getting her back.

"I'm just grateful they had the sense to drop her. They probably didn't want to get caught," Victoria said.

Trixie is in the garage for now but the Borders say she will be returned to her spot on the front lawn once they figure out a way to secure her.

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