The Kato Indian legend of creation by God is striking...
"Nagaicho, the creator, set out to create the world, and he took along a dog. He placed four big pillars at the corners of the earth to hold up the sky. He created man from the dirt, and then he created woman."
A dog was already a companion to God before man and woman were created! Variations of this story are similar, but have the same premise: The dog was already a companion to God before other creatures were created!