A fund has been set up to help the Marietta man who was saved from a Tuesday morning house fire by his faithful four-legged companion.
Contributions may be made to the "Scott Dunn Donation Fund" at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.
Tuesday’s story about Dunn and his boxer, Duncan,who awakened his owner as smoke filled the Joel Drive house but later perished in the blaze, unleashed an outpouring of compassion from readers, who contacted ajc.com in droves offering assistance.
Offers of help poured in from as far away as Washington state, with several writing to offer replacement puppies to Dunn.
“I breed boxer puppies, and I know that they are the perfect family dog, and more,” wrote a man from Iowa. “This story goes to show how much they care for the ones that take care of them. I would like to offer this fella a pup, free of charge, if and when he is ready for one.”
At least two other readers wrote saying they would like to purchase a new puppy for Dunn. One reader even offered his own 6-week-old puppy to Dunn.
Cricket Elliott-Leeper, a volunteer with the Georgia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, wrote to suggest that "the best way to honor Duncan for the incredible, courageous dog that he was would be to rescue another dog in need, the way Duncan rescued Scott," and to offer her organization's assistance to Dunn.
"No dog, regardless of breed, will ever be able to replace the hole left in his heart by Duncan, but to truly rescue a dog that has seen the most horrific sides of mankind, will make the hole a little less painful," Elliott-Leeper said.
Dunn told the AJC on Wednesday that while he could never truly replace Duncan, he will be getting another dog.
“I am not wealthy by any means, but it would be a good gesture to give to someone who needs a hand,” wrote a woman from Washington state. “I have no family, just my four-legged family, and they are the very best and mean the whole world to me.”
Another reader from Florida wanted to pass along a book she recently read: “My heart broke when I read the story about the dog who saved the man from the fire. I would love to send Mr. Dunn a book I have read entitled, ‘Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates.’ I believe it would give him great comfort.”
“Even though right now he is grieving a great deal over the loss and I know that he may feel that any act of kindness from strangers will not bring his sweet little Duncan back to life, it is in my heart to try to help him in any way that I can,” wrote yet another reader.
A University of Georgia football season ticket holder, noticing that Dunn was wearing a UGA cap and sweatshirt in interviews, wrote to offer whatever assistance he could, including an offer of tickets to an upcoming game.
The AJC is forwarding all of the offers of assistance to Dunn, who is currently staying with friends.
Dunn said Wednesday that the outpouring of support following Duncan’s death has been “a blessing.”
“I went by to see Duncan this morning and to say good morning to him and a stranger came by and gave me a duffel bag with socks, underwear, shampoo, shoes, just a bag full of stuff,” Dunn said. “Somebody came by last night and put flowers on top of where they buried Duncan.”
Trudy Oudt, who lives across the street from Dunn, remembered Duncan as “just a loving, big sloppy dog. If he got on your lap, you weren’t going to get rid of him.”
Oudt said Dunn was a great, helpful neighbor with a “very big soul.”
“If he took care of himself as much as he takes care of everybody else, he would be way ahead,” she said. “It’s not going to be good for him for a long time. He’s got to start from scratch.”
Cobb County Fire Department spokeswoman Denell Boyd said Wednesday afternoon that while the exact cause of the blaze had not been determined, investigators believe it was an accidental fire that began in the attic of the brick ranch home in the Blackwell community off Canton Road.
Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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