My parents never owned a dog, but growing with with friends and relatives who had dogs, I had many experiences with dog sitting for a week or two while my grandparents when on vacation, getting "first shift" to take care of my roommates dog while she went off to work in the morning, walking and taking my friend's dog out for bathroom breaks while she worked during a period I was without a job, and taking care of my own cats and my grandparents cats since I was a little girl.