I have a theory. Gene dies naturally from old age. He was 95 after all. His wife finds out and becomes very distraught. The pain from the loss of her soulmate was too much for her to bear, so she decides to commit suicide. She takes pills, lots of pills.
The dog gets hungry after a while, and since both of its owners are unable to feed it, it eats whatever it could find. The dog finds the pills spilled out of the bottle, and decides to eat it. Thus it dies as well.
When has a woman ever sacrificed herself in any way for a man lol
maybe if her kid or dog died but not for a husband