Dogs are not people. They’re better than that. | Vince Bzdek

Dogs are not people, we must remember, even though we Coloradans often treat them as such with our doggie bars, doggie hotels, and doggie spas.

No, dogs are not people. They do not cheat on you, give up on you, ignore you or abandon you during tough times. Their love is pretty much unconditional in my experience, no matter how unlovable their owners sometimes act.

Dogs do not have people emotions. No, their emotions are more steadfast and generous than that. Certainly my dog had better social skills than I, always greeting every day, every trail and every person he met like they were the most interesting thing on the planet.

His human family was always more important to our Golden Retriever than his own creature comforts. He was willing to sleep on the cold hard ground if he could be closer to you.

He always waited patiently by your side to play when you arrived home in a bad mood, until his irresistible enthusiasm made you lose that mood entirely. When some of us humans threw temper tantrums in the house, he was always quick to snuggle up to the culprit to see what was wrong and salve their psychic wounds.

As far as I know, no pack of Russians Wolfhounds ever got together and declared war on Ukrainian Shepherds. Animals don’t do war or hate.

George Graham Vest, who served as U.S. senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators of his time, once represented a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored the testimony and simply gave one of the most memorable speeches ever honoring man’s best friend.

“The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog,” he said. “When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.”

Vest won the case.

A dog lover’s paradise

A recent survey declared Colorado the No. 1 most dog-loving state in America.

Out of 5.8 million Coloradans, 47.2% own a dog, and the state also hosts a total of 110 dog parks, which breaks down to 1.87 parks per 100,000 residents — 16.8% higher than the national average of 1.6, according to OurFitPets.com.

A different study noted that Colorado is home to 74 no-kill shelters and also has some of the nation's best animal protection laws.

"For example, domestic abuse can include crimes against a victim's animal, and veterinarians are required to report suspected cruelty," researchers wrote. Sometimes, alas, dogs are treated an awful lot like humans.

Forbes in February also found Colorado ranked at the top of their list. Its analysis discovered that 43.5% of Colorado residents were willing to live on “a tighter budget in order to afford their dogs’ expenses.” It also said that 19.5% of Colorado dog owners were likely to move from an apartment to a house so their dog could enjoy a yard.

Golden days

Our own dog appeared magically one Christmas morning in a basket under the tree. The kids named him Dasher.

We tried to teach him to fetch, but he never brought the sticks back. He was a retriever but not a returner. We did teach him to pull kids on sleds through the snow and showed him how to dog paddle at a neighbor’s swimming pool.

Each time we visited Bear Creek Dog Park he ran from the car to the gate like he had just discovered a brand new world. He insisted on saying hello to every single dog in the park, and each of their owners, like they were long lost friends.

He also had a habit of stealing the brie off the table at the end of nearly every party we had so I wouldn’t have to eat it.

The one single time I heard him bark was when his silly owners left a half-eaten pizza in the garage and left the garage door open. A minivan-sized bear came into the garage foraging, and Dasher simply chased him away.

One of his best days ever was a rendezvous with a thousand other Goldens during the annual “Goldens in Golden” day. I’m hoping dog heaven is as perfect as that day.

He also visited elegant hotels like the Drake in Chicago and last weekend he rode the snowstorm out with his mom at the Broadmoor. Did you know that the Broadmoor welcomes dogs in every room in the place, and brings your dog treats and a giant pillow to sleep on?

After 13 and a half years, Dasher left us last week, falling asleep at the front door waiting for me to get home from work, and never waking up. His passing was as gentle and peaceful as he was with our children his entire life. Loping his way through the wonder years of childhood side by side with them, he has given a golden haze to our memories of those precious days.

The house is resoundingly empty without him.

Only after he was gone did I realize how much he set the rhythm of our days with his gentle high spirits.

Dogs may not be people, but that doesn’t mean ours wasn’t an honored member of the family. My 22-year-old son, when he heard the news of Dasher's passing, summed up all Dasher meant to us in just a few words.

“He was my brother.”