I never realized how important human/dog companionship was until I got to know Zip. I regret that I didn't get to know my first dog, Barney. He died at 15 from heart failure.

Zip accepts me for who I am and I do the same for him. Most importantly, he has unconditional love for me as I do for him. He is the closest I can get to having a child of my own at this point.

That sounds a little like my wife. She grew up with several dogs (at different times) in the family, but to her family, dogs were just... dogs - like a piece of furniture - they were just there, and you had to feed & take care of them, but there was no personal "connection".

After we moved in together and got our first dog together, she saw how I interacted with the dog in a more personal way, and how training & working a dog builds that bond. She bought (and READ) a lot of dog books, and now she has her own special relationship with our dog(s) - different than mine in some ways (because all of us including the dog are individuals) and yes, it's really cool.
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So, because dogs do love to please us (they live for it) if there's any way you can (in any way, even if modified), I encourage getting involved in some kind of training/activity/sport with Zip (Wiki link listed in previous post), and that bond will grow beyond your wildest imaginings.
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Doc

I'm thinking of getting him enrolled in a program to visit kids in the hospital - he is wonderful with kids!