Published September 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.

Gia, who was constantly by Gov. Jared Polis’ side during his eight years leading Colorado, died Monday. The state’s first pup was 17.

No cause of death was given by the Democratic governor, who announced Gia’s passing on Facebook. But at 17 she lived a long life for a dog.

“She was our everything — an amazing dog who loved us unconditionally,” Polis wrote on social media.

Gia had a big presence despite her small stature. She attended bill signings and news conferences, meetings with big-name politicians and members of the governor’s cabinet.

Gia was featured in a 2025 documentary by Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun on dogs at the Colorado Capitol, during which Polis remembered her tagging along for an event at Camp Hale near Leadville. She was part of history as top Democrats planned out a national monument for the site.

“She’s often watching,” Polis said in the documentary.

Polis leaves office in January, meaning Gia was by his side for nearly his entire tenure in Congress and as governor.

The governor and his longtime-boyfriend-now-husband, Marlon Reis, adopted Gia in August 2009 from a shelter in Englewood during Polis’ first year as a U.S. representative. Gia had been rescued from a hoarder’s home.

“I brought her back and forth most weeks to D.C. when I served in Congress, as I took Harry Truman’s famous quote to heart: ‘If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog,’” Polis wrote. “Gia was that unconditional friend to us, and a true member of our family. She often joined me for official events and always got much more attention than me.”

Polis said on Facebook that Gia was Reis’ “everything,” going on several walks with him each day.

“She even signed our wedding certificate with her paw prints ,” Polis wrote of his 2021 wedding to Reis. “Mortality sucks, but we will always remember Gia, the joy we brought to her, and the joy she brought to us. Thank you Gia for bringing us 17 wonderful years ”