Lola is a 5-year-old Lagotta. I worked with Lola and her owner over the past couple of years with basic training. Lola’s issues were pretty standard: not coming when called, inappropriate digging, pulling on a leash and barking at passers-by. She was not a difficult dog. She lacked some confidence, was a little pushy with her people and shut down quickly when under pressure. She is a sensitive dog.

In the late spring of 2017, her owner called me, concerned that Lola had growled at her while she was attempting to give her a bath. This was unusual for Lola, as she was used to being bathed and groomed. We discussed the issue at hand and the owner agreed and understood that maybe she had pushed Lola too far.

Her owner also had other concerns regarding some unusual behaviors Lola was exhibiting since returning to their second home on the North Fork of Long Island.

• Lola did not want to be around her owners at times
• She did not want to leave the car on many occasions and would growl and snap if forced to exit.
• She felt threatened at times when cornered and would growl.
• She also did not want to come in the house when called
• She would hide under the bed on occasions.

We spoke at length. I suggested a full vet check up to rule out any medical issues. This is the first thing I suggest when a dog is exhibiting any unusual behaviors. The owner made her appointment with her vet in New York City, and Lola received a clean bill of health.

I then scheduled our initial evaluation and lesson. We approached each problem behavior and set up management strategies and protocols for these situations.

As the owners traveled back and forth between the North Fork to Queens often and were not always available on a regular schedule, we set up weekly conference calls for progress reports and to troubleshoot any issues. Providing my services remotely helps keep everyone connected and moving forward in the process.

And then the call came we all dread to hear. Lola had bitten. Lola had snapped, lunged and had bitten her owner's granddaughter in the face. Her owner was scared and frantic, as to be expected.

Thankfully, there was no serious injury and the granddaughter did not need immediate medical attention. Nevertheless, Lola’s owner made her decision that evening: they could no longer keep Lola in the house with so many children living in the household and euthanasia would most likely be the outcome for this 5-year-old dog.

Something was not sitting right with me. I have seen dogs that are beyond help. I have stood by several owners over the last decade when they have made the euthanasia decision for the safety of family and the public. I was perplexed over this case.

That evening I made a few calls and talked to fellow colleagues about the onset of Lola’s aggression. This was not the dog I knew. I felt in my gut this dog was a "good egg".

The next day I called Lola’s owner, and offered her the opportunity to relinquish Lola to me, so I could place her with a trainer who specialized with dog aggression. The selected trainer was willing to evaluate the dog and attempt to rehabilitate her over the next few months. If she found Lola to be safe, she would re-home her to a family with no small children. Also, I pleaded with the owner to do another blood panel to rule out any medical issues.

As a dog trainer, I never give medical advice (this is not my job), but I will help to educate owners about illnesses that can cause aggression. Over the past decade, I have a encountered wonderful dogs biting simply because of pain. Abnormal thyroid levels, Arthritis, spinal injuries, and brain tumors are some of these medical issues to name a few.

The owner agreed to the blood work and made an appointment to see a local North Fork vet for the following day. In the meantime, I asked that Lola be kept quiet and kept away from all the hustle and bustle of a busy household.

As it turns out, Lola was sick ... really sick.

The first thing the vet did was test for Lyme Disease. The test came back positive, and before it had even finished, the results showed off the charts. Lola had been sick with Lyme for some time and simply had to be in distress, physically and mentally. She was in pain.

Lola was started immediately on antibiotics and continued for several weeks. Now late September, some three months since the biting incident occurred, Lola is back to her normal self, has shown no more signs of aberrant behavior and is back to being the loving and gentle dog her owners once knew. Could Lola’s behavior have been due to her Lyme disease?

We posed this question to Lola’s doctor. While the vet could not confirm any correlation between Lyme disease and Lola’s abnormal behavior, no other explanation was offered for Lola's behavior change.