The first dog we adopted was a cattle dog, one bred to run about 100 miles a day--talk about a workout! She's pushing on 11 years now, but when she was young we spent close to 3-4 hours a day wearing her out. Suffice to say, I'm accustomed to high maintenance dogs, so long walks, hikes, and play time are right up my alley. I spent my teenage years taking care of neighbors' pets, which came in all species, sizes, and temperaments. My own dog is a rescue and she isn't terribly friendly, so I have experience handling 'grumpy' animals. But despite sometimes difficult walks getting there, seeing how happy my dog is to play ball in the creek, where she jumps with total abandon into the water... Nothing beats the child-like joy of a dog.