WATCH: Golden Retrievers Descend on Boston to Honor Official Marathon Dog

Amy Furr

A massive crowd of golden retrievers gathered at Boston Common on Sunday and put smiles on many faces, but the meetup was for a very special reason.

The dogs’ owners wanted to honor the memory of the official Boston Marathon dog, Spencer, who battled cancer until his death in February 2023, WMUR reported Sunday.

Everyone knew Spencer thanks to his tradition of holding a flag that read “Boston Strong” as he stood along the marathon route to greet runners.

Attendees also honored Spencer’s niece, an 11-year-old golden retriever named Penny, who passed away from internal bleeding and tumors.

In March, those who loved Spencer unveiled a statue of him to inspire and encourage others:

MA Golden Meetups organized Sunday’s event, and participants enjoyed walking together and greeting runners while raising awareness for canine cancer.

Video footage shows the smiling golden retriever owners assembled for a photo and loving on the dogs, who were all wearing special yellow scarves:

“Spencer totally understood what he was doing, and he knew he made a difference, and he enjoyed doing it,” the dog’s owner, Rich Powers, told CBS News.

The outlet also noted that Spencer was a therapy dog who spent time cheering up students in schools and patients in hospitals.

“MA Golden Meetups also sold Golden Strong bandanas for dogs with 20% of proceeds donated to Spencer and Penny’s fundraiser for the Morris Animal Foundation’s hemangiosarcoma and canine cancer research,” the WMUR article said.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), golden retrievers are intelligent, friendly, and devoted dogs and are one of the nation’s most popular breeds.

“They are serious workers at hunting and field work, as guides for the blind, and in search-and-rescue, enjoy obedience and other competitive events, and have an endearing love of life when not at work,” the website read.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.