Copper was five when things started to change. It was slow at first — a slight favouring of his left front leg on morning walks, a reluctance to jump into the car the way he always had. Rachel noticed, the way you notice things about someone you watch closely every day. She mentioned it to a colleague who said older Labs did that. Wear and tear. It was probably nothing.
She gave it two weeks. The limp didn’t go away. Some mornings it was worse than others, but it never fully disappeared. Copper still ate well and wagged his tail and greeted her at the door, so she kept telling herself it wasn’t serious. But she made an appointment with Dr. Harmon, because she always did when something felt off.
The clinic had a Wednesday opening. She took a half-day from work, drove Copper over, and sat in the waiting room with him pressed against her leg. She was not particularly worried. She had no reason to be. She was just doing what a responsible owner did.