A Maryland dog has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research after escaping from his yard and running part of a charity half marathon.
The 3-year-old goldendoodle (golden retriever-poodle mix) named Dozer joined runners near his home, at mile five of the 13-mile Maryland Half Marathon race in Howard County near Baltimore on May 15.
Dozer and his owners were visiting family when the invisible fence surrounding the yard temporarily went down due to a power outage and he escaped, WTOP-TV reported.
Runners reported seeing him at several points and there's video of him crossing the finish line at 2 hours and 14 minutes. He then found his way home.
Race officials later honored him with a medal. Video of him crossing the finish line has been viewed thousands of times on YouTube.
Dozer's family set up a fundraising page on the Web to benefit the race's beneficiary, the University of Maryland's Greenbaum Cancer Center.
"I was sitting in front of my house on Sunday morning when a bunch of runners came running by," Dozer explains on his webpage. "They looked like they were having such fun so i decided to join them. I forgot to tell my Mom that I was leaving and she was really upset!"
Dozer added: "I had to walk all the way home after the race and Mom didn't find me at home until the next morning.....boy was I sore!! I overheard my Mom talking to the people who put the race on and they are coming over to give me a medal! Now I am resting and looking back on the great journey."
Race organizers said Dozer's page has raised more than $14,000 in pledges as of Friday.
