Statue of Spencer the marathon dog to be unveiled in Ashland this Saturday

On Saturday, Spencer the marathon dog, who cheered runners on from the sidelines in Ashland every Marathon Monday for eight years, becomes immortalized in a statue at the intersection of Olive, Frankland, and West Union streets in Ashland.

Spencer, named the official dog of the Boston Marathon in 2022, first appeared on the sidelines in 2015, but became something of a local celebrity after a video of him cheering on runners during 2018’s particularly rainy race went viral. Known for his signature two Boston Strong flags that he’d hold in his mouth, the trained therapy dog stood across the street from where the statue will be, right around the race’s three-mile mark.

He battled cancer for three years before passing in February 2023. His sister, Penny, died just eight days later. The BAA had honored the dogs in a 2022 ceremony that named Spencer the marathon’s official dog.

“It’s definitely humbling to know that Spencer affected so many people,” said Spencer and Penny’s owner, Rich Powers. “They were a popular couple of pups,” he said, noting that in 2022, over 500 guests came to the dogs’ joint birthday party. “The statue’s not for me,” said Powers, “it’s for the world.”

After what Powers called “an outpouring” of support following the dogs’ deaths, the bronze statue of Spencer the golden retriever will be unveiled this Saturday in Ashland. Paid for by privately raised funds organized by Powers and a team of volunteers, the statue will sit on private property across the street from the Ashland Community Center, alongside a few sitting rocks and a bench for visitors to pause and reflect.

Last year, the Ashland Select Board voted “no” to a proposal to put the statue at the community center in a 3-2 decision. That same night, Robin and Cynthia Hicks, who live across the street, offered to put the statue on a slice of their property down by the road, where it’ll be visible to the marathoners running by.

“They couldn’t be any more accommodating,” said Powers of the Hicks, who called their decision to lease a part of their property for the statue a “no brainer.”

Their Ashland property, which belonged to Cynthia’s family, sits right on the marathon route. “We grew up cheering on the runners and being there no matter what the weather was,” holding signs and supporting the athletes, Cynthia said. “We really feel that he was an inspiration not only for runners,” said Robin, “but for people around cheering on the runners.”

Powers and the team of volunteers chose Canton-based studio Buccacio Sculpture Services to create the statue, raising funds through a buy-a-brick campaign that’s sold upwards of 150 bricks and by selling merch like mugs and T-shirts through Powers’ photography business, the Henry Studio. The Polkadog Bakery was also a huge supporter, said Powers, and they got plenty of funds through a GoFundMe, too — folks donated between $10 and $500, with one donor giving $1,000.

Any funds raised over the cost of installation along with a small fund for yearly maintenance fees will go to the Morris Animal Foundation for cancer research, said Powers. Spencer and Penny were more than just marathon icons — therapy dogs by training, they “talked the talk and walked the walk,” he said, regularly visiting schools and hospitals. And while Powers typically raised between $2,000 and $3,000 a year for the Morris Animal Foundation, last year they raised over $40,000.

“Everyone at the studio was very proud and honored to be a part of [creating the statue],” said Jeff Buccacio of Buccacio Sculpture Services. The full-service studio took care of every part of the process, from design to installation. “This type of work feeds my soul on a personal level,” said Buccachio, who lost his mother to cancer. “I think a lot of people can relate to that fight that he was going through, and there he was, standing on the sidelines, cheering people on.”

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The statue’s unveiling ceremony, free and open to the public, begins this Saturday at noon and will feature a few speakers (including Powers), along with light refreshments and merch for sale. Barbara Walsh, author of a children’s book about Spencer, will also hold a book signing at the ceremony.

Last year, following the deaths of Spencer and Penny, Walpole-based service dog program GOFI Dogs (Golden Opportunities For Independence) gifted Powers and his wife, Dorrey, a new puppy — Jimmy, a now 1-year-old English cream golden retriever. Jimmy now has a 4-month-old sister, Jade, and both retrievers will remain involved in the marathon starting this year. 

“He’s trained to hold the flag,” said Powers of Jimmy, who’s still a puppy but is prepping to become a therapy dog around the time he’s 18 months old. “In my driveway he walks with it, he does everything we taught him to do. Can he do it when 20,000 runners are running by? I don’t know,” Powers laughed. 

But with the unveiling of the new statue, Spencer will always have a place in the hearts of the Powers and all marathon runners and supporters. 

“He was like an angel that lived in our house and our only goal was to share him with the world,” said Powers. “That was it.”

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