This dog thinks she's attached to my hip. She follows me from room to room. She loves me, that's for sure. When I wake up in the morning and she hears me stir, I hear her tail wagging and thumping on the floor. No doubt about it, she's my best friend.
When she blew her knee out in a gopher hole while chasing frisbee I paid about a grand to have it screwed back together. When she did the same thing to the other knee a year later I didn't give it a second thought. Another grand. Money-wise I bet she's cost me 10k over her life, and I'd do it all again without the slightest hesitation. I'll never know a more faithful friend.
That being said, when I'm out in the wilderness, her job is to get eaten by the bear while I get away. :) She knows it... I know it... and we're OK with that. I love having her as my dog. But I'll still reserve the words "I love you" for my human family... even though I do love her. I love her, but she's a dog. That's the way the universe works.