A boy from the heart of Texas with a fifth-place show goat and a tragic story inspired one of the most emotional and lucrative outcomes ever witnessed at a San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo auction, participants said.

Dustin Mangus, 10, of Mills County was injured in a December wreck that killed his father, who helped care for the goat.

As word of the boy's hardship spread in the Saturday auction crowd, dozens of bidders rallied the sale price to a record $150,000.

The outcome wowed the clean-cut youth and his family from Mullin, along with stock show officials.

The sale price surpassed the $80,000 fetched by this year's grand champion steer, and it topped the amount paid for any other animal ever sold at the Junior Livestock Auction, livestock director Jeff Thayne said.

“Showing goats is fun,” Dustin said Thursday, adding that his dad would have been really proud of him.

Though Dustin's 11-month-old Boer goat had a lush coat and dignified stance, the animal had a habit of nibbling bystanders' clothing and was ranked only in fifth place by the judges for its breed.

The goat didn't have a name, Dustin said.

“There's no sense in naming him since he wasn't going to be there forever,” he said.

A fifth-place goat typically would fetch about $3,000, said Ronnie Urbanczyk, chairman of the auction. Instead, 70 or so bidders heard the boy's story and pitched in during the emotionally charged auction, which reminded some of what it means to be a part of the agricultural community.

In early December, Dustin lost his father, David Mangus, 33, in a vehicle wreck, said John Carl Smith, the boy's grandfather.

David Mangus was driving Dustin and two younger children to school on a foggy morning when he lost control of his pickup and crashed into a tree, Smith said.

Dustin still is healing from three facial-reconstruction surgeries. He also broke his left arm and a finger, Smith said.

Smith said he and the boy's father helped Dustin raise the goat, which required feeding, exercising, washing and sheering.

Smith said Dustin already had raised about $4,000 by showing his goat at a fair in Brown County. But that figure was minor compared to what was to come in San Antonio.

Before the auction, Smith handed Urbanczyk a written version of the Dustin's story. Urbanczyk read it and tracked down the boy to confirm what had happened. When he found Dustin, the boy's goat began trying to eat Urbanczyk's shirt.

“The boy just kept saying, ‘He'll eat anything,'” Urbanczyk said.

Urbanczyk said he was amazed by what he heard, began telling some of the buyers about it and later had the story read in the auction ring.

Soon the bids were flying.

Though Dustin had shown a goat at last year's stock show, Smith was amazed by this year's auction results.

“I really couldn't believe what was going on,” Smith said. “It's all I could do just to keep from breaking down and crying.”

Even buyers were overwhelmed and many from the audience began adding their contributions, which will help pay for Dustin's medical bills and someday may fund his college education.

Sondra Grohman, owner of Shining Star and Star Fire Ranch in Millett, in La Salle County, donated about $20,000 toward the sale price.

“If you could have been in that room and felt ... I can't put into words what that feeling was,” Grohman said. “I just felt like my heart was up in my throat.”

Grohman, along with Marvin Rush, chairman of Rush Family Entities, were both inspired to contribute large sums because the boy went through with showing his animal so soon after his father's death.

Keith Martin, CEO and executive director of the stock show, said the bidders' motivation was a continuation of the spirit that brought neighbors together to build barns.

“There's a lot more to agriculture than raising animals. Agriculture I like to define as the culture of the land,” Martin said. “We're teaching young people the responsibility and the culture of the land.”

When the auction was over, Urbanczyk turned to Dustin and asked him: “Son, do you believe that's a lot of money?”

The boy answered, “I think so.”

Afterward, it was a little difficult for Dustin to turn loose of the goat his father helped raise so it could be marketed and harvested, Smith said.

“That money can never replace his daddy but it will help him do a lot of things that his daddy would have done for him,” Smith said.