Since retiring from the Navy, this veteran has raised 21 guide dogs

A Golden Retriever.
(Image credit: iStock)

Whether she's running into the grocery store or spending an afternoon at the Washington Monument, Melissa Harrington brings Sunny With A Purpose, aka SWAP, along for the ride.

Harrington began volunteering with the nonprofit Guide Dog Foundation following her retirement from the Navy. Since 2002, the Virginia resident and her family have trained 21 service dogs to assist people who are blind. SWAP is an 18-month-old Golden Retriever, and as part of her training, she needs to be exposed to people in different environments. Because of that, SWAP gets to go on lots of adventures with Harrington.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.