 The dog, known in the stories as the "grey dog of death", consistently appears at times (in dreams or in visions) in the family's history as an omen of imminent death for a relative.The narrator is reminded of the story as he and his siblings sit in a Toronto hospital at the bedside of their ill father.While none of them mention the story to each other, it is clear to the narrator they are all thinking about it, thinking about how even its mention may signal the death of their father.