Barbas said:
That in mind, I thought a small animal like a rabbit, gerbil or chinchilla might be more appropriate. What do you recommend, Escapists?
I'd stay away from the "small animals", and one of those things is not like the others. Hamsters and gerbils tend to be short lived, which will do nothing for anyone's depression. Chinchillas are delicate and fussy animals that require a lot of special care. Rabbits, properly cared for (IE, on a vegetable/hay based diet and not kept in a cage like a hamster) will live 10-14 years and are almost as serious an undertaking as a dog. In addition to dietary needs, bored rabbits can be as destructive as bored puppies, so they require a lot of care and attention. They've been seriously miscast as "starter pets" or kid friendly pets when they're anything but.
Cats are genuinely low-effort pets, assuming you get a cat who isn't completely neurotic and encourage good behaviors. But you apparently don't like cats, so there's no point putting some poor cat through your apathy.
A well adjusted dog would be a good companion for an unhappy person. They're active and will force you to be more active, and you like dogs, and they tend to be chipper and really, really into you. I wouldn't get a puppy...try find a well behaved/well mannered/trained dog at a shelter. Younger is better, as animals tend to have the bulk of their health problems later in life, and you're just signing up for a lot of financial burden and stress.
Barbas said:
I like dogs for how intelligent and loving they are...
Dogs aren't really any smarter than other companion animals. They have about half the neurons in their brain as cats, for example. What dogs are is significantly more socially adapted to humans, as a species, due to a long long history of domestication.