When I turned 5 years old my parents brought home a golden retriever puppy and we grew up together, Brandy was my very best friend. She always wanted to play with me and even when I was sad she'd cheer me up. More recently while my sister was preparing for the delivery of her daughter she asked if I could take in her 1 year old Maltese and for that first year I made sure she had regular check ups, made sure she was groomed properly, took her on walks/runs (she's full of energy so she absolutely loved running around outside), took her out to potty every hour and a half, etc. Taking care of Coco gave me an immense amount of experience of what dogs should and shouldn't eat, how frequently they need fresh air, and I even got her potty trained while she was here (which may have been just luck lol). Once my sister felt comfortable enough taking care of a new baby AND a puppy she did request Coco back, and she has been living la vida loca ever since.