Owners of Spencer, beloved Boston Marathon dog announce passing of second dog, Penny

BOSTON — The owners of Spencer, the beloved Boston Marathon dog have announced the passing of their second dog, Penny.

‘With great sadness, we are sharing the news of Penny’s passing yesterday. The enormous pain of losing our Spencer only a week ago is now compounded, with the loss of our precious Penny,” said Richard Powers, Penny, and Spencer’s owner.

The Powers family were the owners of Spencer, a golden retriever known for his inspirational support of Boston Marathon runners.

Spencer died last week after a long and difficult battle with cancer.

Powers posted on his social media page announcing the death of their 11-year-old golden retriever Penny. Powers wrote that vets has recently found a tumor on Penny’s spleen and liver and she was suffering from internal bleeding.

Vets told the Powers family that surgery would buy very little time.

“We made the difficult decision to help her pass while she was comfortable. We held her, thanked her, and told her we loved her until he last breath. We are beyond devastated. We are in a fog of disbelief. It feels like a terrible dream, Powers wrote on Facebook.

Penny’s death came eight days after Spencer died on February 17 at the age of 13.

Spencer first went viral in 2018 when braved rainy weather to cheer on runners at his favorite spot along the 26.2-mile route near Ashland State Park. A video of him dressed in a raincoat with the flags in his mouth was widely shared by news outlets across the country.

The 13-year-old dog has gone through a number of health battles since 2020 when he miraculously survived a near-rupture of a benign tumor between his liver and spleen. Spencer later underwent surgery and chemotherapy after a cancerous tumor was discovered on his spleen in 2021.

In the spring of 2022, Spencer was named the official dog of the 126th Boston Marathon.

On January 4th Spencer was honored with a massive portrait as he continued to battle terminal cancer.

‘You are with your soulmate Spencer with your frisbees and ball. You are forever in our hearts. Thank you all for your caring about this special duo,” Powers wrote.

The Powers family started a fundraiser in honor of Spencer Penny.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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