Conway Hutt says he didn’t know the boy who died in his community after a weekend dog attack, but when he heard about the tragedy he knew there was a family who needed support.
The southwest Nova Scotia scallop fisher put together a fundraising raffle in support of the boy’s family, some of whom he does know. He put up 10 pounds of scallops, which another fisher quickly matched with 10 pounds of lobster. By Tuesday evening, dozens of items had been donated including hundreds of dollars in gift cards, hand-crocheted blankets, and drone photography services.
“As of about 8 o’clock (Tuesday) night, we hit like 80 different items,” Hutt said in an interview Wednesday.
“So at that point, that was way more than we ever expected. So I just stopped taking donations at that point and just asked them to make money contributions or buy tickets.”
Nova Scotia boy, 13, dies after being attacked by three large dogs
Local officials have said the boy was a 13-year-old Grade 8 student in Shelburne, N.S., a tiny fishing community about 200 kilometres southwest of Halifax, where there’s been an outpouring of grief on social media. RCMP have said he was biking by a property in the 100 block of Upper Sandy Cove Road, a gravel road just north of the town in a community called Welshtown, on Saturday evening when three “large-breed dogs” attacked. He was flown to a hospital in Halifax with life-threatening injuries and later died.
On Wednesday, the RCMP said the dogs that attacked the boy were two cane corsos and a Rottweiler. All three have been euthanized. Since the attack, investigators have been going door to door, talking to people and looking at video footage to track the dogs’ day-to-day movements, they said.
“Our team is working through several investigative steps to fully understand what happened and to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack,” Staff Sgt. Mark Macpherson, detachment commander of the Shelburne District RCMP, said in a statement. “Community members have been very supportive of our work, and the dog owners have been co-operative throughout.”
Several seafood companies challenged each other to match donations for Hutt’s fundraising raffle, and there’s now thousands of dollars worth of fresh fish available with a draw set for later this month. Hutt says he’s sold tickets to people in Ontario and British Columbia, showing how far the story of the tragedy has reached.
“If they win, like, 10 vans of lobster I told them I’m not delivering them,” said Hutt, who was preparing to go to the bank for a certified cheque to deliver to the boy’s mother.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by the boy’s aunt was originally set at $40,000. By midday Wednesday nearly 800 people had donated almost $50,000 with the overall goal adjusted to $70,000. The campaign post says the Shelburne Regional High School student was a friend to many, sharing a passion for horses with his mom, along with all-terrain vehicles and anything outside.
“Our community is absolutely devastated by this loss,” said the post.
An online statement from the boy’s family thanked the community for the “overwhelming” fundraising support, noting the boy’s grandparents plan to pay for the funeral.
A post from his soccer team, Southwest Blast FC, said the boy found great joy in the sport including an under-13 championship, “a moment that meant so much to him and those around him.
“(He) will also be remembered for his bright smile, kindness, sense of humour and the light he brought to every space he entered,” said the post.