A woman in the Maine town of Bowdoinham was attacked by a potentially rabid fox that her neighbor later killed with a shovel, authorities say.
The woman, who has not been identified publicly at this time, told officials with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office that the fox chased her dogs around her yard on Tuesday evening. As she attempted to get her pets inside, she claims the fox bit her, the Bangor Daily News reported. Her dogs were later taken to a veterinarian, though it’s not clear if they were also bitten.
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Shortly after, officials received another call from a neighbor who claimed a fox, which is believed to be the same one that bit the woman, had also chased his dog. At one point, when the fox reportedly attempted to enter the man’s home in pursuit of his dog, he claims he pinned it between the wall and the doorway. His son subsequently killed the animal with a shovel, he said. Neither the man nor his son was bitten by the fox but the man's dog was also taken to a nearby vet.
The dead fox, which was embedded with porcupine quills, local Animal Control Officer Cliff Daigle told the Bangor Daily News, was later transported to the state's Health and Environmental testing lab to be tested for rabies. Though the results are not yet available, the fox could be the eighth animal in the area since February to test positive for rabies, per the Bangor Daily News.