http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_epidemic

My maternal grandfather, Edward Sawers, died of influenza in 1918. He rose from his sick bed to tend to his pregnant wife, his daughter Emeline (age 2) and his son, Bruce (age 1), who were all extremely ill. After his death, his dog took a trip north, (a trip which my grandfather and he had taken several times), looking for my grandfather. The dog came home and died. This story is not imbelished. It is, simply, what happened.