Although it has been a while since I have personally had a dog of my own, my last comparable experience was raising a guide dog for the blind. I was granted care and responsibility for a 6 month old energetic and goofy lab that had only small prospects for actually passing the program given his temperament and age. I had 'Rickles' for about one year while I was attending UC Davis. During that time, Rickles was at my side almost 24/7. I would record lectures, so that I could review them while he and I walked everywhere. I didn't hesitate to take him to the movies, restaurants, big cities, hiking, camping, and on and on. The day Rickles graduated, along with a gaggle of mostly middle school kids, I gave a little speech about my time with the little dude. It was such a joy to get to both care for a pup and to help mentor such a valuable companion for someone I'd likely never meet. I like to think that I can give the care and attention to every pup under my care as I did for Rickles.