June 3, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
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Organizing a fund-raising event usually involves a few glitches. But if event organizers can think fast enough on their feet, a glitch can generate extra dollars.
That’s what happened when University of Maryland officials learned that Dozer, a three-year-old goldendoodle, ran out of his yard to join more than 2,000 people running past his house. The dog leaped into the race without his owners knowing, just as runners were about five miles into an annual 13.1-mile race to raise money for the university’s Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center.
Dozer stuck with the race: More than two hours later, someone videotaped the dog as he crossed the finish line alongside other runners with his head held high. He caused a commotion, as organizers and bystanders realized he was unaccompanied. Meanwhile, Dozer’s owners were frantically looking for their lost pet. He finally returned home the next morning, with a limp but no serious injury.
When Dozer’s owners heard stories about a dog who ran in the marathon, they quickly put two and two together and alerted the event organizers. The organizers decided to give Dozer a medal for finishing the marathon. They also posted the video of Dozer in the race and created press releases as well as his own fund-raising page on the marathon’s Web site and a Dozer fan page on Facebook.
The result? So far, Dozer has generated dozens of online comments and raised $10,150—more than many human participants in the marathon, which has collected a total of at least $300,000. Good boy!
