Sorry for your loss dude... 

I'm not into dogs or pets in general (too busy to properly take care of them, so they'd suffer if I had any), but still I can relate to your pain, as I have friends and relatives who have dogs and I enjoy them whenever I visit.

Often pets can be even more loyal than humans. At least pets are true. WYSIWYG. Which is something that can't be said for many (most?) humans, sadly.