Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down (to the dentist, to the vet, and into trouble!)

And just as August was ebbing and the summer had seemingly sleepily slid by, Monday made it remarkable mark on the month. Gabriel, my seemingly 143 pound "white canine angel" had a dramatic fall from grace as demonstrated during last three days of August at the Dog Park. Up until this week, Gabriel has been an exemplary member of the canine world. He has lead a uniformly peaceful existence during his daily jogs around the perimeter of the Dog Park having clocked not one altercation, bark and or growl. What had awakened this seemingly jovial giant?

It had seemingly started on this past Saturday morning when a high energy and playful black lab had darted into Gabriel's haunches from behind (most innocently but with sure fired delivery) startling Gabriel into a growl and a menacing teeth barring response.

The next morning, Gabriel, Sally, Dakota, and I made our way to the Dog Park later than our usual early Sunday morning session round the dog park perimeter. It was about 8:30 am. We stood in the entryway and a black pit bull mix ran to meet Gabriel through the wire fencing with an explosive growl and bark that was prolonged and aggressive. Gabriel remained motionless and quiet. I waited for the growling dog to leave the gateway so that we could enter uninterrupted. Once the dog had roamed some 35 feet away I felt it safe to let my charges out into the park. Gabriel darted out barking and racing at the black pit bull in a fashion I had never ever even remotely witnessed before. I called Gabriel away, put him into the car with window opened as a well timed "time out" and took my other two for a walk around the park perplexed by this sudden change in my once white angel.

Gabriel joined us and another friend and her dog for a peaceful couple of laps around the park. Gabriel seemed to be himself, relaxed, goofy even for the remainder of our 40 minute walk.

And so came Monday morning. I thought that our run of bad luck had more than run its course, but I wisely opted for a low key 6:15 am saunter round the park hoping to avoid large crowds and misdirected dogs in this cool, calm morning. A good friend and her beautiful Bernese joined us at the entrance to the park. We made it round the first lap painlessly. And then an old yellow lab jogged straight into Gabriel space and in a flash I saw was Gabriel standing poised over the older yellow dog. What was happening? Who was my dog? When did he become so reactive?

Dear Gabriel, three strikes you are out! Someone had taken the wings off my big white angel, and now I was escorting him into the back of my car. If he had been a human he would most probably be in a police cruiser en route to the local precinct or mental hospital. I was shaken and concerned and hell bent on getting some answers fast. This sudden and dramatic change in my dog was terrifying! I called my Vet's office and told them I was on my way to some answers!~ Off we drove to the Gruda's Veterinary Clinic. I left Gabriel in Dr. Sue McKelvey's capable hands with more questions than answers while Sally and I headed to Albuquerque for my dental appointment.

I had never been to the dentist with a dog before, but Jennifer Ridgeway, D.D.S. and her amazing dental hygienist
Stephanie Baca-RDHMS welcomed Sally ( my assistance dog in training) and I with open arms and open floor! Sally took a comfortable sprawl below and "stayed" for periods of time interrupted by high pitched equipment squeals, and open mouthed cackles I produced which prodded Sally into saunters by my side in search of answers, "hey mom, why are you laughing, hey mom, what are those weird high pitched sounds these machines are making". Sally set back down when I made it clear to her that all was well with the world despite all the stuff in my mouth. We even left Dr Ridgeways office hearing about a time when Jennifer, who one time Santa Fe office located across the way from a Veterinary clinic, had performed emergency dental surgery for a canine in need.

Back up i-25 Sally and I sailed to check on Gabriel who had spent hours with Dr. Sue McKelvey. We came with concerned looks and questions, cuz inquiring minds wanna know! Gabriel's abrupt change in temperament had me thinking all sorts of things....is there adolescent schizophrenia for dogs, borderline personality disorder, manic depression, oppostional disorder? I had adopted him when he was One year and three months old. Was there something in his past that was contributing to this sudden change in behavior? Did Gabriel have the canine equivalent of PTSD set off by the battlegrounds of the neighborhood dog Park? Was he ill? Was he in pain???


In our absence Dr. Sue and her crew gathered information, blood, palpated Gabriel 143 pound frame with Dr. Bob Gruda. Dr. Sue and Gruda found Gabriel's body to be extremely body sore which may account for his sudden change in behavior. And yet what is the cause of the pain? Could it be a serious condition? Could it be the result of sumo wrestling with Sally? Was it the inadvertent body slamming Gabriel received at the park? Was it the sudden and dramatic movement of dogs into Gabriel's space that put him into a defensive mode, perhaps igniting his Large Herding Dog lineage to boldly defend his space and his crews precious space. His blood work doesn't come back until next week. Dr. Sue has prescribed low key on leash walks for Gabriel until his body pain has abated and the lab results come in next week. Before we left Dr. Mckelvey gave Gabriel some acupuncture at the end of his diagnostic day at Santa Fe' equivalent to the Mayo Clinic for dog. Sally and I sat on the floor next to Gabriel as we watched his breathing slow, his eyes flutter and still and his heavy chest religuish sweet sighs of relief. Soon after we three headed home for a quiet night with classical music playing as Gabriel lay on his ergonomically supportive foam cushion bed with Sally, Dakota, and I looking on.

For the last two days Dakota, Sally, Gabriel and I have gathered in the wee hours of the now Autumn mornings on leash with leather and halters connecting us as we walk together across dry desert roads in search of peaceful exercise, minus the drama of the dog park where we witnessed drawn teeth, ghoulish growls, and agitated eyes. (Where the wild things are.....) So far so good. We look forward to more answers in the days ahead. One thing is for sure, I'm not an angel when I don't feel good, and despite his angelic name, Gabriel has exhibited his less than celestial side this summer. We are considering calling his alter ego............Lucifier, after all we all have our falls from Grace.....