For the past 14 months, Rachael Hoblin and Dagwood have spent a lot of time together.

It’s been a growing experience for 14-year-old Rachael and Dagwood, an 18-month-old yellow Labrador retriever.

Rachael watched him grow up from a puppy. They lived together, they played together, they even went to school together.

But they are not together today.

Dagwood is in San Rafael being evaluated to be a guide dog for the blind. Even though she misses Dagwood, Rachael said she would like to raise another guide dog.

“I’d like to do it again. It was an enjoyable experience,” Rachael said Monday.

“It was cool to get a puppy from the beginning and watch him change and know he had a purpose, to help somebody,” Rachael said Monday afternoon.

Dagwood went to school with Rachael every day, but the entire Hoblin family — dad Bill, mom Sherri and son Dustin, 16 — helped raise the puppy.

Sherri Hoblin said Rachael was interested in raising a puppy, so when Bill Hoblin heard the president of Eyes for Freedom speak at his Rotary club meeting, the family talked it over and decided to give it a try.

Eyes for Freedom is a north state club made up of members that raise dogs for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Rachael said Dagwood was her first dog. Through teaching Dagwood basic commands such as sit, stay and come, through feeding, watering and potty training, Rachael said she learned a lot.

“It’s a lot of hard work. It’s like raising a child,” Rachael said.

Dagwood even went to school with Rachael every day at University Preparatory School in Redding. She said that others at school got used to seeing her with the dog but that it took some getting used to.

“I always have to tell them that you’re not supposed to touch the dog. Some people are very respectful, though,” Rachael said.

“He loves all the little kids from Redding School of the Arts” who attend school on the same campus as U-Prep students, Rachael said.

Guide dogs working for the blind are not supposed to be petted while they are working. When Dagwood is working he wears his green jacket, Rachael said.

Eyes for Freedom President Cathy Koch said about six dogs per year are raised by members of the club. It is common for kids Rachael’s age to raise guide dogs, she said.

Kids like Rachael build confidence because they often attract attention when they are out in public, and people ask questions about their dogs. It draws out shy people, Koch said.

It is important for the whole family to participate in raising the dog, Koch said.

“It helps a family stay connected because they are working toward a common goal,” Koch said. “It’s very rewarding, but it’s a 24-hour-a-day job.”

Sherri Hoblin said the family will wait until officials finish evaluating Dagwood before they decide whether to get another puppy to raise as a guide dog. Dagwood, who may be used exclusively for breeding, has to pass a physical examination before he is accepted.

If he passes, the Hoblins will probably get another dog this summer, she said.

Rachael said she will miss having Dagwood around and hearing the tinkle of his collar as he trots through the house.