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Dog escapes yard, runs half-marathon

What did you do this week? Dozer the goldendoodle escaped from his yard and ran part of a half marathon. Feeling lazy yet? He's also raising money for cancer research.
/ Source: TODAY contributor

Many runners know that some of the best running buddies in the world come on four legs. Normally, they also come with a leash and an owner, but that wasn’t the case for Dozer, a 3-year-old goldendoodle that escaped the invisible fencing of his home and crossed the finish line of the Maryland Half Marathon on May 15.

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His triumphant moment at the end of the race was captured in this video on YouTube.

Dozer’s owners had no idea that the active young dog had joined more than 2000 runners around mile 5 of the 13.1-mile race. Although many runners saw the canine running the course and drinking water from cups at the water spots, nobody realized he was on his own, Maryland Half Marathon co-founder Jon Sevel told ESPN Page 2.

Although he was, understandably, tired and sore following the 8-mile run (and who wouldn’t be?), Dozer was found to be absolutely fine by his vet. Just like people, depending on age, breed and health, some dogs are more suited to running long distances, and clearly, Dozer is a true runner.

And that’s a good thing — the Maryland Half Marathon is looking at ways to involve Dozer in the future. He currently has his own fundraising page on the race website where he’s raised nearly $1900 for cancer research. He received a finisher’s medal for this year’s race, and Sevel told ESPN Page 2 that they’d love to have the jogging dog do it again next year, saying, “At the very least, Dozer will have his own bib number — K9.”