Hips.
Spine.
Teeth.
Ears.
Bloodwork.
No obvious problem.
“Any aggression around food?”
“No.”
“Toys?”
“No.”
“Strangers?”
“No.”
“Other dogs?”
“No.”
“Has he ever snapped at Lucy?”
“Never.”
“Growled?”
“No.”
“What exactly happens?”
We explained.
Dr. Webb asked:
“Same location?”
Daniel and I looked at each other.
“Yes.”
I said.
“The orchard.”
“Same part?”
“I think so.”
“Then I would consider an environmental trigger before a generalized behavior problem.”
Daniel frowned.
“Like what?”
“Wildlife.”
“Smell.”
“Something underground.”
“Bee nest.”
“Snake.”
“Rodents.”
“Dead animal.”
“Any old farm equipment buried there?”
I laughed.
“Probably.”
“Old farms contain everything.”
Dr. Webb replied.
“Including things nobody remembers putting there.”
She suggested we keep Lucy away from the area temporarily and observe Sunny.
That seemed easy.
Then children happened.
Three days later, Lucy came inside holding an old glass bottle.
“Look.”
I froze.
“Where did you get that?”
“The orchard.”
“Where?”
“By the old tree.”
Sunny entered behind her.
His legs were muddy.
His chest fur was wet.
He looked exhausted.
“Lucy.”
I said.
“We told you not to go back there.”
“I didn’t go all the way.”
“What does that mean?”
“I stayed far.”
“How far?”
She pointed toward the yard, as though distance could be explained through a wall.
“Sunny wouldn’t let me.”
I looked at the bottle.
Brown glass.
Embossed letters.
Probably from the 1940s.
“How did you get this if Sunny wouldn’t let you near?”
“It was by the grass.”
“Near the tree?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
Daniel appeared in the doorway.
He heard enough.
“Lucy.”
His tone changed.
She looked down.
“I’m sorry.”
“We told you because Sunny is acting strangely there.”
“He isn’t strange.”
She replied.
“He’s scared.”
Daniel and I both stopped.
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you tell?”
“He cries.”
Lucy said.
“When I walk there.”
“He doesn’t get mad.”
“He gets scared.”
That distinction became important later.
At the time, we filed it under eight-year-old interpretation.
That Saturday, Daniel and I went down without Lucy.
Sunny followed.
The moment we reached the bottom third of the orchard, his behavior changed.
He moved ahead.
Sniffed.
Stopped.
Looked back.