'Quite a good run': Dozer the 'Marathon Dog' dies at the age of 16

It was a quite a good run indeed for Dozer, the Goldendoodle that captured the heart of many Marylanders.

Dozer passed away July 15 of natural causes at the age of 16.

Back in 2011, Dozer escaped his yard in Fulton and ran in the Maryland Half Marathon passing by his house.

His owner, Rosana Dorsett, had no idea he participated in the race. She only learned of Dozer's busy day after a neighbor told her he crossed the finish line.

"I'm like, 'what race, where, how,'" Dorsett said.

When people were helping Dorsett look for Dozer, a mass text was sent out to all the runners and that's when the messages starting rolling in.

"I saw him at mile marker eight, mile marker nine. One of the runners even mentioned that they had stopped for a drink, and Dozer went also to go get a drink with them," she said.

So how did Dozer get back home?

"The next morning, I could barely sleep all night, and I went out and hear this very faint bark. He was right on the outskirts of the fence...he was very weak and lethargic," Dorsett explained.

"I don't know what happened that night or where he went, but he found his way home, so that was pretty cool."

After this, the Goldendoodle became famous. Dozer became the unofficial mascot of the Maryland Half Marathon and 5K, which raises funds for research at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

"Pets can be such an amazing energy for us in our daily lives. It's been wonderful, really wonderful, really a blessing to be a part of his journey," Dorsett said.

To make a donation to the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dozer's memory, click here.