Politics & Government

Dog Bitten By Rabid Raccoon In Waleska

A dog defending its owner was attacked by a rabid raccoon on April 5 in northwest Cherokee County.

A dog defending its owner from an aggressive raccoon has been quarantined after the rodent tested positive for rabies.

A resident on Pleasant Arbor Road in Waleska shot the raccoon on April 5 because it was "behaving aggressively" on the property, the North Georgia Health District said on April 15. 

The raccoon lunged towards the resident, who was unharmed, but the dog was bitten while defending its owner. The resident took the dog to a veterinarian for treatment, and called Cherokee County Animal Control officers to remove the raccoon's carcass from the property. 

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Cherokee County Environmental Health officials sent the corpse of the raccoon to the Georgia State Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing on April 7, and the test came back positive on April 9. 

The dog was current on its rabies vaccination, so it only needed a booster shot. However, it must remain quarantined at home for 45 days. 

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For more information about rabies and its prevention, call the Cherokee County Environmental Health Office at (770) 479-0444 or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's topic page on rabies.


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