Are Dogs Atheists?

Are Dogs Atheists? A friend of mine declared that dog are Atheists intimating that all animals are atheists because they do not believe in a God.  I answered him “you are wrong, you are your dog’s God. Although it was said in jest, it did start a train of thought about  the idea that many animals, especially those who live in herds, have a few leaders but mostly followers and that the herd instinct, an inclination in humans and animals to think or behave like the majority, is a common phenomenon. The establishment of leadership might be a genetic trait. In a wild dog pack there is an Alpha dog which established his leadership by dominating the rest of the herd. A dog owned by a human, if properly trained, regards his owner as the Alpha dog or God. Whether  it is treated good or bad, the dog stays loyal. Humans establish their leaders in a similar matter, indicating that the herd instinct is an inherited trait. It would mean that excepting a strong leader with unquestionable  power is a logical development in human herds as well. The emperors of the past were indeed regarded as gods which were still in power after they died and thus we have different Gods in different tribes. I think it safe to assume that un-elected religious leaders using these ‘gods’ as a powerful method to control their subjects by convincing their followers that they are speaking for the ‘god’ and must therefor  be obeyed. This herd instinct is not only visible in religious groups but also in the political arena. Powerful “alpha dogs” can be living gods themselves such as we have seen in Hitler, Mao and Stalin. That would mean that a truly democratic society will be not easily be obtained since it tries to defy the herd instinct to rely on a almighty  real or imaginary leader with unlimited power,
Summing up, the herd instinct that is an powerful inherited trait, requires a strong almighty leader, who requires utmost loyalty, and who’s decisions, even when not understood can not be questioned.
1-God, represented by their human avatars
2-Emperors, kings, who were considered God themselves
3- Dictators
The powerful herd instinct also makes people want to think  and behave like the majority of the group. The enemy of this powerful inherited inclination are educators, free thinkers, skeptics and non-conformists and they are viewed as the enemy of the herd by the masses and have been ruthlessly eliminated in the past and still are by not only some religious leaders but by dictators as well.
Just an idea that I want to develop further, perhaps it’s way of base but I love your input on the matter since it could explain why religious leaders and Dictators seem to be more powerful than elected ones, who often are strongly influenced by religious or political ideologies.