Boston Common turned a sea of wagging golden tails Sunday afternoon as tons of of Golden Retrievers and their homeowners convened for a “Golden Strong” Marathon Weekend Meetup to honor the official canine of the Boston Marathon, Spencer, and lift consciousness for canine most cancers.
Spencer, a beloved fixture of the marathon who appeared alongside the course for seven years to cheer runners on, died in February 2023. Sunday’s meetup, which included a walk and “social hour” for pups and people alike, was meant to honor Spencer’s reminiscence and lift money to combat most cancers in golden retrievers.
The organizers of the paw-ty, MA Golden Meetups, sold gold and blue tees and bandanas for members to put on on the occasion; 20% of every sale was donated towards canine most cancers analysis.
More than 600 individuals and 350 dogs confirmed out to the second-ever meet-up, organizers mentioned.
“This year we came together to celebrate the beautiful golden community and bring smiles to as many faces as we could, while raising money for Morris Animal Foundation’s research on hemangiosarcoma with the hope that some day the golden breed will no longer be plagued by cancer like it is today,” mentioned Elisha Bussiere, co-founder of MA Golden Meetups.
Golden retrievers are particularly vulnerable to most cancers. A study of three,000 dogs of the breed by the Morris Animal Foundation discovered that 60% had been impacted by the illness.
“Cancer affects far too many Golden Retriever families,” Bussiere mentioned.
Spencer confronted “severe medical challenges” in the previous couple of years of his life, his proprietor Rich Powers mentioned in a Facebook post final 12 months asserting his demise, and was identified with terminal spleen most cancers in 2021 and an inoperable mass in his liver in 2022.
The pup had grow to be a widely known superstar for runners and onlookers alike as he cheered runners on alongside the course by holding “Boston Strong” flags in his mouth.
Appearing on the marathon since 2015, Spencer was named the official Boston Marathon canine by the Boston Athletic Association in April 2022.
The occasion additionally featured a meet and greet with marathon runners, which was notably “special,” Bussiere mentioned.
“Many [runners] said they came across us last year and sought us out this year,” Bussiere mentioned. “We are incredibly honored to be a part of their Boston Marathon experience.”
Commenters on MA Golden Meetup’s Instagram publish displaying a video of the occasion mentioned each people and dogs had a good time.
Others mentioned they stumbled upon the golden sight to their delight.
“I accidentally stumbled on this, this morning!” one commenter mentioned. “It was Heaven!”
Spencer was not too long ago honored with a statue alongside the marathon route in Ashland, which was unveiled final month.
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