I still remember the walk that made me stop in the middle of the footpath.
It was supposed to be our normal evening walk like always.
My dog was excited at first, tail wagging, happy to be outside.
But after just a few minutes, he slowed down suddenly.
Then he stopped and sat down.
I could see it in his eyes that he was tired.
Not lazy, just tired in a way I hadn’t seen before.
I waited, hoping he would stand up again.
But he didn’t.
People walked past us while we stood there quietly.
That moment stayed in my head for days.
Something had clearly changed.