By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Family members of Kache Grist, the Osoyoos Elementary School 11 year old who died after being attacked by two large Cane Corso dogs in Edmonton have organized a GoFundMe crowdfunding effort to help with funeral and related costs.
Donations have been pouring in with over $30,000 of the $40,000 goal reached only one week after the Easter Monday tragedy that occurred while visiting family in Edmonton.
Kache and his mother Kendrah Wong moved to Osoyoos last November and in barely a month would have celebrated Kache’s 12th birthday on May 8. Kache was due to be picked up only an hour after the attack occurred for the return trip to Osoyoos.
“Let’s help give him a beautiful goodbye,” the GoFundMe organized by a family friend said. “This is a huge and unexpected expense that they do not have funds to cover. Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.”
Kache’s grandmother Nancy is identified as the beneficiary of the fundraising effort and will use the funds to pay for Kache’s funeral, related costs, for counseling services for the family, and any other expenses as needed.
“This horrific tragedy has long term and far reaching devastating effects. The family will continue to need support for quite some time. Thank you all again. It’s truly incredible and means so much what you all have done,” the page said.
Kache Grist
The father of Kache, Wesley Grist, said his son was “kind, sensitive and loving,” and expressed the immeasurable pain of having his world torn asunder at losing his son. Grist was speaking at a news conference on Sunday (Apr. 7) at a restaurant in Edmonton.
“My world went from being happy, loving, hugging my son, and ten minutes later my world was completely ripped apart. My heart was crushed,” Kache’s father said.
“Nobody wants to see any child like that. But to have to be a parent and find your child like that, it’s the hardest thing I’ve been through in my whole life.”
He had no explanation for the attack by the two dogs adding that he was in the garage of the house where the attack took place and was only away from his son for about ten minutes.
Kache had reportedly just returned from a nearby store with snacks and let the two dogs into the house with him after which the attack took place, according to his grandmother Nancy Pearson in a CTV interview.
Grist said his son Kache was comfortable with the dogs and had often cuddled with the dogs on the couch of the Edmonton Summerside home.
Edmonton police said the medical examiner continues to investigate after a determination that Kache died from a dog bite but did not say whether the dogs’ owner would be charged. The medical examiner can classify manner of death as natural, accidental, homicide, suicide or undetermined.
The majority of dog attacks in Canada happen to children aged 5-9 (28.5 per cent) followed by the 10-14 age group (23.6 per cent) with the majority of injuries occurring when the victim has no direct interaction with the dog and most occur indoors, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Cane Corsos are an Italian breed of mastiff and known to be intelligent with a good but also assertive temperament.
Donations to the fundraiser can be made at: gofundme.com/f/funeral-costs-for-kache .
