Lucy & Lizzy

It has been 110 years since the sinking of the Titanic. Many souls were lost in the frightful early hours of April 15th, 1912. Many don't know of the dogs that also lost their lives that night. Twelve dogs were aboard the Titanic and only three survived. This is a story inspired by one of those dogs, Lucy, and her human Lizzy.

April 7th, 1912

"Lucy!" mama yelled from inside. It had to be about the third time she's called me because I could hear the annoyance in her voice. I was too focused on the grub. I was so close! Just a few more paws at the damp Earth. I could smell the yummy white flesh and crunchy, crinkly legs. Almost there...

"Lucy!" mama yelled again. This time, I felt her tiny toes on my heels.

Shoot, the grub got away. I turned around to look at her and gave her the saddest eyes I could muster. "Woof!" I barked at her. I had to let her know that I was not disobeying her, only satisfying my adventurous side.

"Oh. How can I ever be mad at that face? Come on now, we have to pack." she said as she caressed my black fur with her soft hands. Mama is beautiful. She has these dark curls framing her pale face, and her eyes are dark but warm and filled with love. My favorite part of her has to be her hands. She always knows how to give the best scratches behind my floppy ears.

I follow her towards the house leaving the thoughts of the grub behind. Mama makes me sit on the mat by the back door. One by one, I give her my paws. With all the grub hunting I was doing and the rain the night before, my paws are coated with thick mud. During this process, she is very gentle. As I sit patiently I am eye-to-eye with her kneeling stance. I'm rather large for a Great Dane, well bigger than most. I give her my right paw and gently she wipes the mud away. She looks at me lovingly while shaking her head.

"Oh my little Lucy, why don't you leave those worms alone? You silly girl." she says, the words coming out of her rosy lips in a soothing tone. 'Grubs. They are grubs, ma.' I think to myself. "Woof, woof, woof!" I bark trying to explain that the grub needed to be hunted and eaten. She nods her head and smiles while wiping my last paw. " Okay, my sweet girl." she says as she smushes my face and kisses my nose.

I wish mama and I could talk to each other. It's weird. I can understand what she is saying but she doesn't understand my barks. I am not sure why humans are made like this. It's very inconvenient to us dogs. Humans have to "teach" us this and that when in reality, we know what they are saying. They don't have to teach us to go to the bathroom because we are barking "I have to go!" while they say "potty" about a hundred times. Those potty training days were also somewhat of an adventure. Everything is an adventure with her. My beautiful ma.

Everyone else around us calls her "Lizzy" but she told me once; "I'm your mama now," so that name stuck with me. Regardless, it's not like she understands when I am calling her. When I need her, I just nudge my big nose on the side of her long dresses.

"All set Princess." mama says after my face returns to normal from all the smushing. She then leads the way into the house, me following close behind her. We live with my mama's sister and her husband in a place called Paris. I do love this house because this place has a backyard full of yummy grubs. Not like our previous place called Chicago, this one, the air feels different and it smells like Earth. My mama's sister, Franny, is very kind. She gives me lots of chicken and sometimes bacon! There is one thing I don't like about this place and it makes me a little sad, Pepe, Franny's little dog. He is so tiny, about the size of my head, and he thinks he runs the place! When we first moved in, I was so excited to see him and happy to be part of his pack. He made it very clear he didn't want any part of it and that this was his home and not mine. It's not that I don't like him, it's that he doesn't like me. I keep my distance from him even though all I want to do is be part of his pack.

I continue to follow mama up the red carpet stairs. The smell of chicken and fresh baked bread fills the house. Franny must be making dinner! We finally reach our room and I see three large boxes, 'trunks', as humans call them.

I'm a little sad because last time I saw these large boxes we moved here. Now, I love it here, I don't want to move. I leave her side and follow my nose to investigate the boxes. I take a few sniffs while mama watches me from the corner. I let out a little whimper because I realize that maybe we are moving again. I don't want to leave Paris, or the grubs, or the bacon, or even Pepe.

"It's okay Lizzy, we are not moving. We will be back. I just want to go visit your uncle in New York, and of course you are coming with me." mama says as if reading my mind.

New York? I've never heard of New York. I know it has been a while that she's seen her brother. As long as I am with her, I'm fine. I wonder if New York is very far away?

"Don't worry my sweet girl. We will soon be going on another one of our adventures! We'll be sailing on the Titanic in a few short days!" mama says.

I wag my tail with happiness and excitement as she kisses my forehead. I love our adventures together and can't wait for this one!

April 9th, 1912

I have been so excited thinking about our upcoming adventure. I hear my humans talking and saying all these things about this Titanic. They talk about how long it took to build, how big it is, and how it's unsinkable. Also, mama mentioned that we will be in first class. I hope that means that we get to eat first!

As I chew on a very yummy bone and wait for breakfast, I feel Pepe staring at me from across the room. I can feel that he has been "off" or not himself since mama announced that we were going to New York. Maybe he will miss me?

I grab my bone and slowly make my way towards Pepe on his thrown. It's not really a thrown, just a lot of pillows, but he calls it his thrown. I keep my eyes on him and make sure to look as submissive as possible. I respect him, it is his house and he is an older dog. I put my giant body down and place my bone in front of his little nose. Nudging it very slowly to him, so he knows I am gifting it to him.

He continues to look at me and then at the bone. He finally licks it as a sign of acceptance. He looks at me, his eyes are hazy with age. "Don't go." I hear him say. I'm very shocked because he rarely talks to me. "Don't go." he repeats.

I sit up slightly and tilt my head with question. "Why not?" I ask quietly.

"Something doesn't feel right. You and Lizzy should not get on that metal box." he says a little shaky.

"But we are leaving tomorrow. What can I do?" I ask with a whimper.

We sit quietly for a while until he says "Perhaps act sick? Make her miss the time?"

"But why shouldn't we go?" I say, still puzzled.

"Don't know Lucy, it just doesn't feel right." he says and then he does something he's never done before. He slowly gets off his pillow and climbs down to me. He places his tiny brown body in between my out stretched legs and nuzzles inside near my chest. He gives me a tiny lick on my chest and gently pushes his head to rest on his side. I rest my head next to him and feel his patterned breathing. He seems sad but yet he doesn't know why. We stay like this until we both hear the sound of our food bowls and our humans calling us. He gets up and licks my nose as he walks away towards the sound of Franny's voice.

I stand up in a daze and I'm grateful. He does care about me. I'm sure these uneasy feelings are him starting to miss me. He must not know what the feeling of missing someone is. I smell his little old breath on my chest as I make my way towards mama.

After breakfast Franny's husband places our trunks in the car. Franny and mama are hugging each other. I go towards Pepe and nudge him with my nose.

"We are going to Southampton, and sleeping there. Tomorrow it leaves at 12." I say to him in a sad tone.

"I know. It's a far drive." he says calling behind him. He rushes his little legs towards his thrown and brings back a chicken leg. It is not a real chicken leg, it's rubber. It's his favorite toy. He places it down in front of me and nudges it towards me. "You bring this back, okay? I am just letting you borrow it." he says with a cracking voice.

"Okay. I will." I respond as I feel my chest hurt and my eyes sting. Mama calls my name and I look at Pepe again. I lick him right on his face with my large tongue. I thought he would get mad but all he does is comes towards my leg and leans his head on me. I nudge him with my head, my way of hugging him.

"Wow. Look at them now." I hear mama say to Franny.

Pepe backs away and walks to his thrown. I grab the rubber chicken like a delicate egg in my jaws and go to mama.

The ride to Southampton is bumpy and long. When we finally get to the hotel my legs need a stretch and I need to go find a nice patch of grass. Franny's husband unloads our trunks and helps us into our room. Mama and him hug goodbye and he tells her he will pick us up in a couple of weeks.

That night is a restless night for me, due to the excitement and the unknown. Everything always works out as long as I am with mama. I'll see Pepe soon and I'll be sure to return his chicken.

April 10th, 1912

We awake to a beautiful morning and the smell of bacon and eggs in the air. Mama dresses in her finest dress. It’s cream colored with ruffles on the shoulders. She adds an elegant hat and puts her silk gloves on. She always looks her best. I don’t understand why humans have to wear so many clothes.

The bell boy helps load our things to the car that will take us to the Titanic. Then we eat breakfast, mom has some fluffy eggs and fruit and she slips me some bacon with my beef kibble.

I finish up my bowl and then follow mama towards the door of the hotel. There is a man with kind eyes and a funny mustache waiting for us.

“Ms. Ann Isham?” He asks while tilting his hat.

“Yes, good morning.” Mama says to him.

“That’s a mighty big dog you have there. Is he traveling with you too?” he asks while opening the door.

“Yes of course. Her name is Lucy.” mama corrects him. People always think I’m a boy, it’s a common occurrence with my breed.

“Very well then, let’s get a move on.” he replies.

The ride to the port is rather short. I look out the window and look at all the fluffy clouds in the sky. Mama is petting me softly while she reads a book. We get to the port and it is bustling with people.

“Alright miss. I’ll take your things and make sure they are on board. Have a good trip, the both of you!” he gleams and gives me a rough pat on my head.

Mama places my favorite leash on my collar and I walk up right next to her. I love this leash, it smells like old steak. I make sure my collar is shown around my neck and show it proudly, so people and other dogs know I belong to mama. We head to the main entrance and she hands her tickets to the man with a funny hat.

“Welcome aboard! Your items will be delivered to your suite, Ms. Isham. We will depart in 30 mins.” he states.

I follow her and there is a maze of people. I start to get a sniff of a fellow dog. I start to follow the smell but mama gives a gentle tug on my leash. I’ll investigate later, I think to myself. All around me there are flowing dresses and clean crisp jackets. The smell of salty air fills my nose. We go down a white corridor and arrive to our room.

It’s beautiful. We have a chimney, a huge living room, and a big bed. I guess this is what first class means. The man with the funny hat was right, our trunks are already in the corner of the room.

“How do you like it, Lucy?” she asks, “We will be here for 6 days and then arrive to New York.”

“Woof!” I bark with approval. I do like it. I also just got whiff of more dogs. I can’t wait to explore and see who they are. I go explore the rest of our room and mama places my giant bed next to hers. She then takes out my water bowl and fills it up. I hadn’t noticed how thirsty I was, so much excitement made me forget. I drink and drink.

“Alright my sweet girl. Finish your water and we will go up to see the ship dock.” she says stroking my back and giving me a slight tap on my bottom.

I drink the whole bowl and then another. Mama places my bag of toys next to my bed and I grab Pepe’s chicken. I place it gently on my bed and take a whiff of it, reminding me of the old man.

“Let’s go Lucy.” she says clipping my leash on me.

I really like it here! It’s going to be a fun adventure and I can’t wait to meet the other dogs on board.

April 11th, 1912

Yesterday seems like a blur. We watched the ship dock and then strolled around the deck. The air felt so crisp and the smell of new furniture filled my nostrils. I still haven’t met any of the other dogs but mama mentioned we will today.

There was a loud blare from trumpets coming from outside. I learned yesterday that it means mama is going for food. She awakes and starts getting ready for the day. She serves me my food and fresh water while she puts on all her clothing for the day. She puts on a long dark dress with little flowers on the collar. Her perfume smells like roses today.

"Alright Lucy. I'll be back, I'm going to talk to some people and eat breakfast. Be my good girl and then we will go meet the other dogs, I heard there are a few on the ship." she says while giving me the best scratches behind my ears. I give her a "woof" of approval and stretch my long legs out.

Mama is gone for a while and I take the time to assess and investigate our room a little more. Everything around me is brand new. The furniture is lined with velvet and lighter colors. I go back to my bed and play with my toys for a bit until I hear the door opening. I jump up when I see mama coming in and I smell bacon wrapped in a cotton napkin.

I rush to her and lick her hands while she is laughing and saying, "Down Lucy! It's all yours." she continues laughing while I gobble up the crispy bacon. I hear the clip of my leash and I know it is time to explore.

We leave our room and go down a bright corridor. I then feel the fresh air on my face. Mama walks me to the dog area and there is a large patch of grass for us dogs. It is not real grass but close enough. I do my business and then sit to enjoy the view. I hear people talking to mama and mentioning my size. She responds with smiles and nods. Like I said before, I am rather larger than other Great Danes. At my last check-up, I was around 140. Mama always says that I am her protector, and she's right. I am bigger than her after all.

Mama takes a seat on one of the chairs and I stretch out to enjoy the bright sun. Just then I smell them. Three tiny fluff balls come my way. I have seen this type of dog before, it's just hard for me to say. I call them Pompoms. They are very yappy dogs and they all come towards me. I let them sniff me and I wait my turn to sniff them. They all start talking at once, so hard for me to hear.

"Look how big he is!" one yaps.

"No, no, not a dog, has to be a small horse." the older one adds.

"It's a girl and she is a dog." the last one corrects with some agitation.

"Okay. Hi everyone." I finally say while slowly bringing my head down for a sniff.

"What's your name then?" the older one asks.

"I'm Lucy." I say, too distracted by their smells. I can smell chicken on the older one's mouth.

"My name is Lady, this is Sun-Yat and that's Pepper." the older one explains.

We all take turns sniffing each other and then they decide to play a little game of tag. I am careful with them as they are roughly the size of my head. We hear our humans laughing at our little game. After a while we tire and take a break while basking in the warm sun. Mama brings my water bowl and I lap it up, Lady asks for some and she joins me.

The yappy dogs start to leave and I am amazed how they all can be carried by their humans so easily. The day continues with more warm sun, fresh air, and time with mama. She has her book with her so I take my place at her feet while she reads. More people come and go on the deck and I stay with mama while she reads. I start to doze off a bit and then I catch a whiff of another two dogs.

One comes right up to me, his face is mushed and he is a light color, a bulldog. He is very sturdy. The other dog is slim. We all take turns sniffing and I learn that their names are "Frenchie" and "Kitty". Their humans chat with mama and we go to the grass area to play.

"Is this your first time on a ship?" asks Kitty.

"Yes. I really like it." I respond.

"It's not my first time and I don't like it." she says.

"Why not?" I ask, not knowing what can be so bad.

"You don't feel it? The swaying?" she says.

Now that she mentioned it, I had felt the ship slightly swaying. "I did but not anymore." I respond.

"I feel it all the time and it makes me sick." she says as she lays on the fake grass and puts her head against the ground.

Now that I look at her, she does seem a bit sick. I'm glad I don't have that problem. Frenchie and I take turns playing while Kitty lays there watching us. We all hear the trumpets again and Frenchie and I jump with excitement.

"Lucy, let's go." mama calls me.

I say goodbye to my new friends and go to her. I hear the leash click and we are on our way to our room. I give her quiet barks telling her all about my new friends and how Kitty gets sick. She nods slightly "Yes, yes. I know you're hungry, we are almost there." she says. I wish we could talk to each other but close enough.

I wait patiently for my bowl of food and water. Mama comes out from the corner with it and places them in front of me. She tells me she'll be back from lunch shortly. I inhale my food and then I go take a nap while I wait for her. I lay next to Pepe's chicken leg and dream of the old man. I know when we get back to Paris, I'll finally be part of this pack.

I hear the jiggle of the door. She comes back and gets into comfy clothes. "How about we take a nap Lucy?" she asks me. Well I have already been napping but naps with mom are the best. "Woof!" I respond. During naps she lets me nap on the bed with her. I snuggle close to her and she starts humming my favorite tune. It puts me right to sleep. Best adventure ever I think to myself.

April 14th, 1912

The last three days have been amazing. I am spending so much time with mama. We go on daily strolls and walk the decks. We spend time reading and napping. I also have gotten to know my dog friends even more! The Pompoms are a hoot and we play for hours. Poor Kitty though, I haven't seen her since that first day. Frenchie says that she is too sick and continues to throw up. I send her messages with him to reassure her we are almost there. One more day and we will be in New York.

After dinner, mama comes back into the room with chicken and bacon wrapped in a cotton napkin. I jump to her and start licking her hands in gratitude. She laughs and pets me while feeding me the yummy food. She gets ready for bed and I curl up on my bed next to her.

"Alright Lucy. You have been my good girl. Do you want to sleep up here with me tonight?" she asks. Mama never lets me sleep on her bed during the night, only naps. The time she did I kicked her in my dreams and she told me I was too big for the bed. I excitedly yelp and climb to bed. I nuzzle close to her and listen to the hum of my favorite tune. I let the dreams take me with the smell of roses from mama.

I was deep in sleep when I felt the ship shake violently. I shake the sleep away and look up at mama. She quickly turned the light on and her face looks white with fear. She stares at me and I look back with confusion. What could that have been? She quickly changes into the dress she was wearing and puts on her boots.

"Hang on Lucy, let me see if I can find someone." she says as she buttons her last button on her boot.

She goes to the door and just then hears a loud banging on the other side. As she swings it open, a man hands her a white puffy coat. "What happened?" mama asks as she takes the puffy material. The man is white with fright and manages to say, "Please put on your life jacket miss, and follow me." he says.

Mama puts it on and grabs my leash. She calls me over and I hear the click of the leash on my collar. I see all the people around me putting on the puffy white coats and following the men handing them out. I hear hushed tones of the word "iceberg". Mama keeps asking the man what is going on and he finally turns to her and says in a panic whisper, "The ship hit an iceberg. You have to get on a lifeboat, we only have an hour or two until it goes down." he says to mama. Mama looks at me and I feel her fear taking over. I give her a strong lick on her arm and tell her I am here to protect her. The first thought that comes to mind are all my dog friends and Pepe's chicken. Pepe's chicken! I yank on the leash and try to pull mama back towards our room. She yanks me back and says no. I follow her along with all the other first class passengers. I hope Pepe won't be angry.

April 15th, 1912

12:05 am

The ship feels different now. The joy is all gone and replaced with fear. The panic is rising as people grab life jackets. There is a long line around the lifeboats and then I hear the owner of one of the Pompoms call mama. We follow them around the deck and come to an emptier section with lifeboats. I see Lady wrapped in a blanket in her human's arms sitting on the lifeboat. She is shaking and terrified. Sun-Yat is also wrapped in a blanket and his human is caressing him while whispering to calm him down. I didn't realize how cold it was until now. The chilly air seeping through my fur. We are behind Pepper's human and she is cozy but scared under her jacket. There are men giving orders and telling everyone where to sit on the lifeboat. It is our turn now.

"No." one of the men puts his hand up at mama and me.

Mama's eyes go wide. "What do you mean no?" she says in a cracking voice. Just then we start hearing people screaming in the distance and I see water starting to pour into the ship. I remain as calm as possible for mama, but I have never been so scared in my life.

"Your dog is too big. He can't go on the boat." the man says in a harsh tone. I whimper. Is mama going to leave me? I can't be alone on this ship. The ship is going to go down. The screaming of other passengers continues to escalate and I hear a loud bang with a strange playing of music as well. Thoughts swirl my mind. It's cold, it is actually freezing. People are panicking. There are a lot of humans and only a handful of boats. The thought hits me, mama can't die. Mama has to go. I will be fine. I am brave. She needs to survive. I nudge her and act brave. Pushing all my fear down and acting like I am not afraid of being alone. Of drowning alone. Of dying alone.

"No. My dog has to come with me. I can't just leave her here to drown." mama says with tears filling at the brim of her eyes.

Lady and Pepper start to bark. I hear them protest and yell that I need to be on the boat with them. Their humans start agreeing and beg the man in blue to let me get on the boat with them.

"No. The dog takes up the space of another person. I'm sorry, get on or move along." he says coldly to mama. I nudge her towards the boat and tell her to get on. That I will be fine. I hear Lady shouting at me that I am crazy and I reassure her that mama comes first. I give her another nudge and I thank her for the best life. Pepper starts howling, deep painful howls and the other two Pompoms join. I hear mama discussing something with Pepper's owner and her owner hands mama her life jacket.

Mama leaves the line with me behind her. I'm confused and I am refusing, she needs to get on the lifeboat now! I grab her by her dress and yank her towards the boat while tears fall from my eyes. She can't do this, it's my fault. My stupid size. She's not moving and she kneels to me. She takes my head in her hands and kisses my nose.

" You silly girl. I am not leaving you. It's me and you." she says smiling. I lick her tears away and whimper with both sadness and happiness. Pepper and Lady's howls have turned to cries. She waves at their humans and I give my friends a goodbye bark.

12:40 am

I follow mama close by. I am not sure where we are going. We pass by three men playing music. How someone can play music at a time like this is beyond me. I see the water closer now. The screaming has become louder. Just then there is another loud thud and I see colors and fires light the night sky. I follow mama and we are back in our corridors. She opens our door and lets me inside.

I feel her sadness and anger. She's crying now. I go over and look up at her while licking her arm. She wipes her tears away and looks down at me with a slight smile. "It's going to be okay my Lucy. We are together." she says and she bends down to hug me. I place my heavy head on her shoulder and start whimpering. We both are crying now at the realization that we are going to die. She pulls away and wipes her eyes and kisses me all over my face. She continues to do so and I start to wag my tail with joy as I hear slight laughter coming from her. I let her finish kissing my face and then I lick hers, I give her many sloppy kisses and then she hugs me again.

"Okay. We have to dress warm." she says to me as she stands up. I see her go to the closet and she pulls out her fur coat and her thickest sweater. Then I smell her pull my treats from her bag. She gives me all of my yummy treats and I enjoy them on my bed while she takes off her boots and puts on socks. As I finish my treats I stare at Pepe's chicken leg. I'm happy to have it with me.

1:30 am

Mama finishes adding to her layers of clothing. She then turns to me holding her thick sweater and the life jacket that Pepper's human gave her. She stares at me.

"Hmmm. We need to get these two on." she says in a pondering tone.

I hear more screaming coming from outside and the ship starts to tilt. Just then mama comes towards me quickly and places her sweater on me. It fits rather well. She then places the puffy jacket on me as well. I walk around a bit and I'm glad I can still walk with these on.

Mama kneels down to me and looks at me with her loving eyes. "Are you ready my girl? We are going to be together and that's all that matters. Don't be scared." she says. I lick her face and give her a very quiet woof. The ship continues to tilt. I grab Pepe's chicken and mama looks at me with caring eyes. She grabs it from me and tucks it inside my sweater, near my chest. She says "It will be safe in there." and she gives me a quick kiss on the head.

1:45 am

I follow her through the door, my leash no longer needed. It is eerily quiet in the corridor. The water is now inside. Mama pats me on the head and she tells me that it will be best for us to go into the water now. I don't understand why but I listen to her, like always. When we get to the deck it is chaos. People are screaming the water is rushing quickly but now the ship is quickly tilting upward. It is going to sink face first I think to myself. Mama looks into the water and sees lifeboats floating away. I wonder where my Pompom friends are now, I hope they are far away. I still hear the violins in a distance.

Mama sees others jumping into the water and grabbing on to chairs and other items that have been thrown overboard. She tells me we will be fine without anything, since we both have life jackets on. She tells me that it is going to be very cold when we jump in but after a while, we won't feel it.

2:00 am

The ship starts to tilt more and it is going underwater under us. Now is the time to jump. Mama jumps first. It is not that far of a jump, I make sure she is safe and then I jump in after.

The water is pain. I have never felt anything so cold in my life. It pierces my fur with anger and seeps deep through the life jacket and sweater.

"Lucy!! Lucy!" I hear mama calling me frantically. There is chaos everywhere, the ship is now going under and the other half is tilting up. I hear mama calling me again and I turn around. I see her and we swim towards each other. She hugs me and I hug her while giving a scared yelp.

2:29 am

It is so cold. I am thankful for this life jacket or else I would not be alive right now. It's going to be okay, mama tells me. She says we have to swim as far away from the ship as we can. It is going to go under and cause suction. We start swimming and swimming. After a while I turn around and see the great Titanic in a vertical tilt. People are falling or jumping off the sides. A large tube starts cracking and it starts to fall. Kitty and Frenchie come to mind. I hope they made it out. Mama is next to me staring in horror at what is unfolding in front of us. We did get rather far from the ship. It is starting to sink.

Mama holds me and I hold her. She turns me away from the sinking ship and all I hear are infinite screams. Mama was right, I start to not feel my legs. The freezing water has seeped right to the bone. Mama's lips are blue and her teeth are chattering violently.

The ship is being devoured by the cold ocean. It goes completely dark and all around us is darkness and screams. I look at mama and I can't help feel shame. It is my fault she is here and not safe on a boat. It is like she is reading my mind and says, "Lucy, it is not your fault. I chose to stay with you, I couldn't leave you behind my sweet girl." she says through chattering teeth. My giant arms are on either side of her head, in somewhat of an embrace. I let out the biggest howl I can and then lick her pretty face. I love you mama, I say to her through barks. Her skin is ice and the tears are frozen like icicles on her cheeks. I think about my life. These last five years have been the best life any dog can ask for. I think of our naps, reading, our strolls, the bacon and chicken, Franny, and Pepe. I think of the smell of roses that mama has and her soft hands. My mind starts to drift and I feel the darkness take me. I feel mama holding me tighter and she tells me "I love you my sweet Lucy. Thank you for being the best dog anyone can ask for." she says in sobs. I feel her holding me even tighter and I nuzzle into her neck, she starts to hum my favorite tune. I don't feel my body anymore and the screaming around us has quieted. I hug mama tighter and she gives me one last squeeze. I let the darkness take me and with my last breath I bark quietly and tell her I love her.

** Ann Elizabeth Isham was one of 5 female first-class passengers to have died on the Titanic. The story of her Great Dane is legend and it has not been proven fact. The legend says that she stayed to die on the ship because her Great Dane had been refused a seat on a lifeboat. It is later said that her body was found frozen holding onto a large dog drifting in the Atlantic. This is all legend and was never proven. But she was on the Titanic and was one of the few first-class women passengers to have perished. **

Below are links to the legend and a biography on Ann Elizabeth Isham

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/remembering-dogs-titanic/

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/ann-elizabeth-isham.html