An adorable crowd of golden retrievers gathered ahead of the Boston Marathon to honor the event’s late official dog, Spencer, and his niece, Penny, who both passed away from cancer last year.
MA Golden Meetups got the dogs together to take their owners on a “Golden Strong” walk around the Boston Commons on Sunday, April 14, the day before the race. During that walk, the pups had the chance to meet the runners in person. The dogs also got to enjoy a “social hour.”
The dogs and their owners also took time to recognize a statue that had been erected with Spencer’s likeness in March. The statue sits near the spot where Spencer always stood during the race.
This was the second such meetup.
Boston Marathon’s Official Dog “Epitomized” What The Race Was About
Spencer passed away on Feb. 17, 2023, at the age of 13, after his second battle with cancer. The beloved therapy dog began making an annual apperance—rain or shine—at the Boston Marathon with his blue “Boston Strong” flags in 2015. The race organizers dubbed him their official dog in 2022.
Penny stood beside Spencer and cheered on the runners with her own flags each year. She died only eight days after her uncle. She was 10.
The dogs’ owner, Richard Powers told Good Morning America that Spencer “really epitomized what the Boston Marathon is about, which is overcoming obstacles and doing the best you can.”
“He was our world,” he added. “He was everything; He and Penny. They were just wonderful dogs and each of them were too good not to share, and so that’s what we did.”
The golden retrievers helped raise money for the Morris Animal Foundation’s hemangiosarcoma and canine cancer research initiative.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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