World's first dog to complete a half marathon dies in US

A pooch in US that shot to fame after he became the world's first dog to complete a half marathon without the assistance of a human, has died after suffering a heart attack.
The 10-year-old dog, Boogie, managed to escape from his home on October 5 to participate in the Evansville, Indiana, half marathon.
He covered 20.9 km in 2 hours and 15 minutes, outpacing 1,128 registered runners, the Evansville 'Courier Press' reported.
The Labrador had to be taken to an animal shelter and it was only then that his owner, Jerry Butts, was told of his dog's exploits.
The canine's feat earned him a medal and his runaway tale launched him into an international media sensation.

Unfortunately, Boogie suffered a heart attack and died on Oct 15, his owners said.
"He loved every minute of the attention," Butts wrote in a Facebook message to Boogie's fans a day after the dog's death, 'New York Daily News' reported.
"You know him as the first dog thought to have completed a half marathon unassisted, but to me and my sons, he was our companion, our watchdog, and a member of our family," he wrote.