DENVER -- Denver Broncos quarterback Brian Griese returned to practice Friday after being injured by his dog two days earlier.

Griese sprained his left ankle Wednesday when one of his dogs knocked him down the stairs at his home.

	“	So the dog stood up on his hind legs and gave him a push? You might want to get rid of that dog or put him in the circus, one of the two. ”
		— Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe

He was limping and didn't practice on Thursday, but split time with backup Steve Beuerlein working with the first team in practice Friday.

Griese is still listed as probable for Denver's game against Baltimore on Monday, but coach Mike Shanahan said he didn't seem to have any trouble in practice.

"He looked pretty good,'' Shanahan said. "It didn't look like there was much soreness there, so hopefully there'll be no setback tomorrow and he'll be ready to go.''

Shanahan said Griese will likely split time with Beuerlein in practice again on Saturday.

Griese talked freely about the incident on Thursday.

"I was walking down the stairs and my dog came barreling down the stairs after me and clipped me, and I kind of twisted my ankle on the stairs," Griese said. "These things happen. Unfortunately, it happened to me.

"I'm getting treatment. I'm going to ice it and hope the swelling goes down."

Asked about his status for Monday night, Griese said, "I'm expecting to play right now."

Asked his reaction when Griese gave him the news about the fall, Shanahan said, "I said, `Oh, no.' I thought, What's going to start from here, rumors and speculation of what happened? Did he really trip over the dog? That's what I was thinking."

On May 5, Griese tripped on a steep driveway at teammate Terrell Davis' house and was knocked unconscious, bruising his face. The injury fueled speculation that Griese was intoxicated.

Tight end Shannon Sharpe expressed disbelief when informed by the media of Griese's version of his latest injury.

"Are you jiving?" he said. "I know you're all joking."

Convinced it was true, Sharpe said, "I don't believe I'd have told that one. I'm not a very good storyteller, but I think I could have come up with a better one than that.

"I've heard that, 'I stepped out of my car at work,' or, 'I went back for a pass and all of a sudden I stepped on someone's foot'. But a dog pushing me down the stairs? Oh, my goodness. I'm going to have to let Mike handle that one.

"So the dog stood up on his hind legs and gave him a push? You might want to get rid of that dog or put him in the circus, one of the two."

In other news, running back Olandis Gary, who left Sunday's game in the first quarter with a sprained left ankle, was back at practice Thursday.

"He feels much better,'' Shanahan said. "I think he was more scared than anything during the game because that's where he had the previous injury. Thankfully, it's nothing serious, and he should be ready to go.''

Last season against Dallas, Gary suffered a broken lower left leg and torn ankle ligaments, and he has a plate in the ankle.

"It's still a little sore, but it's getting better,'' Gary said. "I think I'll be fine.''