Rocco looked like he was sleeping.
The 7-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier was stretched across his shelter bed, his breathing steady and his body quiet.
Then, without warning, everything changed.
All four legs extended.
His muscles became rigid.
His jaw began trembling.
Rocco's eyes opened, but when a staff member called his name, there was almost no response.
Nobody tried to pull him upright.
Nobody put their hands near his mouth.
They moved hazards away and watched.
Seconds passed.
Then Rocco's legs slowly relaxed.
His jaw stopped trembling.
The stiffness released.
For a moment, he remained completely still.
Then he tried to stand.
That was when another problem became obvious.
Rocco seemed disoriented.
His feet struggled to find their positions beneath him. He looked around the kennel as though he had not completely reoriented to his surroundings.
Eventually he settled again.
Staff hoped it might be an isolated episode.
It wasn't.
The First Episode Was Easy to Misunderstand
Dogs move strangely during sleep sometimes.
Their paws twitch.
Their facial muscles move.
They may vocalize, shift suddenly, or briefly stretch their legs.
That was one reason a single unusual movement during rest did not immediately provide an answer.
But Rocco's episode was different enough to make staff pay attention.
The stiffness involved his entire body.
His jaw trembled.
Most importantly, his responsiveness appeared significantly altered during the event.
Then came the confusion afterward.
Staff documented what they had seen.
They did not diagnose it.
Rocco Seemed Almost Normal Again Between Episodes
That made the situation more unsettling.
Once the event had passed and Rocco had time to recover, much of his usual behavior returned.
He could interact with his environment.
He could respond to people.
He could move around the kennel.
Nothing about looking at him between episodes necessarily explained what staff had witnessed while he was resting.
For a while, the shelter had two versions of the same dog.
There was Rocco between episodes.
And there was Rocco when his entire body suddenly became rigid.
Then It Happened Again
Rocco was resting.
There was no obvious struggle immediately beforehand.
Suddenly his limbs extended.
His body stiffened.
His jaw began trembling.
His eyes were open.
A worker spoke to him.
The response was minimal.
Instead of shaking him or trying to force him awake, staff kept the immediate area safe and watched the clock.
The episode lasted only a relatively short time.
Then the rigidity released.
Rocco attempted to get up.
Again, he looked disoriented.