Less than 24 hours before 30,000 runners started boarding buses to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, a different type of excited energy pulsed through Boston Common on Sunday.
Will, Sammy, Mandy, Cather, Lucy, Frank, Flynn and Lou were there. So were Kona, River, Miko, Clementine, Lily, Maple, Cedar and Chester.
They were not wearing high-tech sneakers or racing bibs. They had four legs each, were panting wildly and drooling just a bit.
They were some of the 250 or so dogs that descended on a public park in downtown Boston to honor two golden retrievers that became inextricably linked to the Boston Marathon. Spencer, a therapy dog who became the Boston Marathon’s official race dog, died Feb. 17 at age 13 from an inoperable cancer.
Spencer gained fame as an enthusiastic spectator at Mile 3 of the marathon course who dutifully held a Boston Strong flag as runners stopped for photos. He became so popular that runners sometimes lined up for the chance, adding seconds, if not minutes, to their times. But no matter: It was Spencer.
A week after Spencer died, Penny, one of his litter mates’ offspring, also died, from hemangiosarcoma, a type of cancer.
“Did he stay for her or did she stay for him?” Rich Powers, their owner, wondered. “They were so bonded.”
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