For most of his life Rocky is just a normal dog.
But for three days a year, Rocky the black Labrador becomes a charitable weapon of procreation.
Rocky is a stud dog, one of 10 living in New Zealand.
These canine Casanovas have one job and one job only, to be dads to the over a hundred guide dog puppies the Blind Foundation breeds each year.
"When they're at home, in between breedings, they're just dogs, you know we're not asking them to do much of anything, but when they get the call it's time to come in and meet the ladies," says guide dog services operations manager Wendy Mellberg Haecker.
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The dogs need to be physically fit, good with people and other dogs, and smart enough to learn the guiding tasks their offspring will be trained to perform.
Once selected for the program the pups can look forward to a life of privilege.
"He certainly has a very easy life - he gets all the benefits of a typical guide dog," says Justine O'Hara-Gregan, Rocky's guardian.
"He can go anywhere with us, he gets to come to work with me with his red coat on, and every so often he goes off (to the breeding centre) has a nice time and comes home again."
Despite the breeding sessions being a yearly occurrence, Rocky is still getting used to his charity work.
"He does come home looking a little bit bewildered afterwards."
"We tend to drop him off in the morning, pick him up in the afternoon. When he comes home he's just exhausted. He'll collapse on his bed, have a big dinner and go to sleep," Justine says.
Although the job may seem like fun, it's serious business.
The Auckland breeding program is tasked with raising and training puppies to service the entire country's guide dog needs.
The dogs are so valuable to the charity that in one instance a stud dog was flown to Auckland to take part.
When Abbot, a Golden Retriever relocated to Whanganui, the foundation flew him back to Auckland to take part in the program.
The jet-setting canine stud is now retired from service and lives with his guardians back home in Whanganui.
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