You simply couldn't write it.
Everyone knows that when it comes to raffles in rural Ireland, the stakes are incredibly high. You could win a house in Donegal. You could win a car. And, if you're a terrier named Toby, you could win a tractor worth €100k.
A brand new John Deere tractor was the grand prize for the
Clough Community Centre fundraiser and when Limerick man Patsy Dalton entered his dog into the draw, he never thought a win like this would be pawsible.
The raffle was launched back in October of last year, as part of a fundraising effort to build a town hall in the village of Clough, County Laois. There were 8,000 tickets available, but in the end Toby was the luckiest boy of all.
The winner of the draw was announced last Friday, St Patrick's Day, at Mary's Bar in Clough. Upon drawing the lucky ticket, the announcer initially thought the name was "Tadgh Dalton", but a member of the fundraiser committee recalled selling a ticket to a Limerick man after an auction in Portlaoise, who said he'd buy it on behalf of his dog Toby. He beamed: "We have the first dog in Ireland that’s won a tractor".
As Toby doesn't have his driver's license it'll be his owner, Patsy who takes the wheel, but it's a victorious win for the pup nonetheless.
Header image via Facebook/Clough Community Centre
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