Photo Credit ( Pixabay )
The several well-behaved boys and girls observed a moment of silence in honor of Spencer and his sister Penny, who both passed away from cancer this year.
In remembrance of Spencer, the Boston Marathon’s honorary dog who passed away earlier this year, over 100 golden retrievers strolled through downtown Boston on Monday before the race.
The Boston Globe reports that on Sunday, in the lead-up to Monday’s Marathon, scores of good boys and girls strolled along the Boston Common. In addition, they were there to pay tribute to Penny, Spencer’s sister, who died eight days after her brother.
Spencer had been a spectator at the Marathon for many years, cheering competitors on from his position a little distance into the race. When he stuck out a windy, rainy race in his owner’s raincoat in 2018 with two “Boston Strong” flags in his mouth, he went viral.
The owner of Spencer and Penny, Richard Powers, saw the outpouring of love on Sunday. The raincoat that Spencer had borrowed in 2018 was on him.
Powers told The Globe, “I think it’s safe to say that Spencer and Penny affected millions of people at this point.”
Farewell to Noodle, the Canine Instructor You Can Have a No-Bones Day.
The event was arranged by MA Golden Meetups. There was a brief period of stillness before co-founder Elisha Bussiere told Powers (via the newspaper) that “so many people wanted to be here to show how much they loved your dogs.”
Numerous dogs wore “Golden Strong” bandanas, and the furry, golden procession stopped a number of onlookers, including one runner who was in the middle of a shakeout jog prior to the race.
According to that runner, Patrick Stastra, “it’s amazing what dogs with people do, and apparently if you multiply the number of dogs, then even I am so soft that I have to take a picture,” he said to the newspaper.
In 2022, Spencer was designated as the 126th Boston Marathon’s official canine. That title has now been granted eternal validity.
In February, Spencer and Penny both passed away from cancer. Their family has raised almost $33,000 in the fight against canine cancer thus far. At the event on Sunday, MA Golden Meetups also made a $1,000 contribution. Powers is constructing a statue of Spencer alongside the Marathon course in collaboration with local authorities.
He told The Globe, “I just want him to keep inspiring people.” “You can do more than you think you can.”