Dogs protect Griffin woman from rabid fox attack
GRIFFIN, Ga. - A Griffin woman says she is glad she and her dogs are safe after they were chased and attacked by a rabid fox.
What was supposed to be a simple backyard outing for Gina White and her pets turned into a terrifying situation that was caught on camera.
"When I approached the creek with the dogs, I saw the dog with what I thought was a fawn," White told FOX 5.
But it wasn't a fawn. In the video, the dog can be seen running over to the wild animal.
"My dog went and grabbed a hold of it and slung it across the yard. When she slung it, that's when I realized it was a fox, and it wasn't happy, and it was coming at me," White said.
Gina White
What happened next was a mad scramble. White was trying to avoid the furious animal and get her pets into the safety of her house.
"I fell. I threw my phone at it to divert its attention from me, but I don't know if that worked," she said,
Thankfully, neither White nor her dogs were bitten, but the animals are currently in quarantine as an extra safety precaution. White says both pets were fully vaccinated and had received a booster shot.
White doesn't know where the fox ran off to, but the Spalding County Health Department confirmed the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory tested it positive for rabies.
White says she learned a very important lesson from the scary situation.
"Don't underestimate the dog," she said.
She and her family are now urging everyone to get their animals fully vaccinated.
If an animal appears to be sick, overly aggressive, or out of character, call Animal Control at 770-229-9911, or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division at 800-366-2661.
Report any direct contact with your pet or with a human to Animal Control or the Spalding County Environmental Health Office at 770-467-4230. Treatment and prevention practices for rabies in humans have proven to be almost 100 percent effective when initiated promptly. For more information visit cdc.gov/rabies.