I knew The Boy

Recently I have got back in touch with an old school friend. Actually he was my "Cariad" my childhood sweetheart. As kids we spent a lot of time together, I was a bit of a tomboy I guess and we liked playing with plastic farm animals/horses and later walking the dogs together. I guess in my late teens I thought he was gay and I was shocked when he married in the late nineties. But your first hunch is always right and the marriage did not last, my lovely friend now he lives happily with a male partner of many years.
Last year hearing he was chronically ill and not expected to survive upset me tremendously, where had the time gone? It must have been 15 - 20 years since I'd see him. Why had we not made time for each other? We had both been so close but both gone our separate ways, followed our own paths through life and all of a sudden it was 20 years later. Through the power of Facebook I was able to contact his sister and kept in touch over the months that followed. He could not speak or eat and was not expected to make it to Xmas, but somehow he fought for life and earlier this year he was allowed home. I continued contact with his sister and then out of the blue 6 weeks ago she contacted me and gave me his mobile number, she said "he would love to hear from you."
Aware that he had not been able to speak I text and since we have been in regular contact via text messages and messanger. Then this week, unexpectedly he rang me  .. OMG he can now speak too. We had short chat and it sure left me with a lot to think about, he now wants a dog. To start off with I knew the boy, I don't know the man so it's down to any breeder to asses them appropriately, but then there is the health issues. I have always said that there is the right dog out there for anyone who wants to share a life with one, and from a compassionate point of view what right would I have to say no you are too ill? I agree with his partner that his first choice of breeds, a GSD or a Dob are really not right for the situation but surely there must be the right breed, the right dog? I haven't the guts to ask what is his prognosis, or if something happens to him will his partner be happy to look after the dog on his own? How the hell do you ask that kind of question? I know too well that life is generally fragile and any of us could fall off the train at any time but in their situation the risks are greater maybe?  The dog and his quality of life are paramount ... but how can you deprive anyone the love and companionship that they crave from a dog?