BOSTON -- You've heard of a walkathon or bikeathon to raise money for a good cause. At the BaySide Expo Center Friday, dogs will strut their stuff at a fund-raiser for kids with cancer.

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Rhonda Mann Reports On Fund-Raiser RESOURCES Dogs Of Course Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show

NewsCenter 5's Rhonda Mann reported that the event is called On Course For Kids. It pairs a dog and its owner with a child or sibling of a child with cancer.

"It's fun because I get to play with doggies," said Olivia, 5, whose sister, Sophia, has cancer.

Sophia is in a hospital isolation room following a bone marrow transplant.

"We've been isolated, not able to go anywhere since the middle of September, so for Olivia to be out with other people and other kids, and dogs, she's just had a great time," said parent Diane Kenneally said.

This year, 50 dog owners have volunteered to share themselves and their pooches with the special kids.

"It's magic. It's just amazing. Many of them, the families are so overwhelmed with having medical issues that they can't have dogs. So they come and get their fix for dogs with us," On Course For Kids spokeswoman Dana Crevling said.

Participants gathered pledges, and the money goes to the cancer center at the Floating Hospital for Children. In the process, special friendships are unleashed.

"Whether they've got an IV pole attached to them, whether they're in a wheelchair, whether they can't speak, the dog accepts the child the way they are and they don't judge them," dog owner Amy Stephens said.

Last year, the program raised $22,000 for the center.