More Than 100 Golden Retrievers Descend on Boston To Honor Spencer, the Boston Marathon's Official Dog

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Ahead of Monday's Boston Marathon, more than 100 golden retrievers walked through downtown Boston to honor Spencer, the Marathon's official dog who died earlier this year.

The dozens of good boys and girls walked along the Boston Common on Sunday before Monday's Marathon, according to The Boston Globe. They were there to also honor Penny, Spencer's sister who passed away just eight days after he did.

Spencer had attended the Marathon for years, encouraging runners from his spot just a few miles into the race. He gained viral fame in 2018 when he stuck out a windy, rainy race in his owner's raincoat, a pair of "Boston Strong" flags in his mouth.

Richard Powers, Spencer and Penny's owner, witnessed the outpouring of support Sunday. He wore the rain coat Spencer borrowed in 2018.

"I think I can safely say Spencer and Penny affected millions at this point," Powers told The Globe.

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MA Golden Meetups organized the event. After a moment of silence, Elisha Bussiere, the group's co-founder, told Powers (via the newspaper), "so many people wanted to be here to show how much they loved your dogs."

Many of the dogs wore "Golden Strong" bandanas, and the furry, golden parade caused several passersby to stop, including at least one runner in the middle of a pre-race shakeout jog.

"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," that runner, Patrick Stastra, told the paper.

Spencer was named as the official dog of the 126th Boston Marathon in 2022. Now, that title has been extended in perpetuity.

Spencer and Penny both died of cancer in February. So far, their family has raised more than $33,000 to fight canine cancer. MA Golden Meetups contributed $1,000 at Sunday's event, too. Powers is working with local officials to build a statue of Spencer along the Marathon route.

"I just want him to continue to offer inspiration," he told The Globe. "You can do more than you think you can."