HAGERSTOWN, MD -- We all know owning a dog can be a huge responsibility, with feeding, walking, veterinary care and of course loving.

But a canine in Hagerstown, Maryland is lending a paw when it comes to some of those duties.

“Ronin” the 5 year-old Bull-Mastiff is gentle, affectionate, obedient and he doesn’t need a human being to take him for a walk or to take out the garbage.

“I don’t have to walk with a leash,” said owner Lloyd Weedon. “From the first moment he came to the house he showed us things that we’d never seen before.”

His owner says from the get go, Ronin loved to play fetch with newspapers and slippers.

“So I experimented. I was out in the yard one day and happened to be working on the car. And there was a spare tire and I asked him to get it and believe it or not, he picked up the tire and gave it to me,” said Weedon.

Now, Ronin is even taking out the trash.

“Most of the time I need an extra hand and he gives me an extra mouth, right? So he carries his own trash,” said Weedon.

Ronin’s owner says his life span is only eight years, but their hoping with plenty of diet and exercise, he will live much longer than expected.