HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Henrico woman and her dog were attacked by a wild fox on Thursday. It happened off of Penick Road near Staples Mill.
“It was scary, to see a fox chasing my dog,” said Henrico resident Pam Hope.
Hope says she was working in her garden with her dog close by, the gate to her fence open. The fox chased her dog hope into the back yard. She says she grabbed her rake and hit the fox as her dog ran back inside. Hope says she confronted the fox who was cornered at the back of her fence when she slipped onto her back, and that’s when it bit her on the knee before calmly walking through the gate and into the woods at the back of her home.
“I’m just glad that I was able to protect my dog,” said Hope.
Hope says while the bite did not hurt that much, the fact that it punctured the skin is what has her worried the most.
“Now I have to got the hospital to get a series of rabies shots. Not knowing if the animal has rabies or not.”
The fox is still on the loose and hope has a message for her neighbors.
“Just be on the lookout in the neighborhood and we need to catch it as soon as possible,” said Hope.
Meanwhile animal control had this to say about the attack.
“It is unusual for a fox to chase a domestic animal especially a dog and then also of course to come up to a person and then to actually bite them,” said Lt. Shawn Spears of Henrico Animal Protection Police.
They say while they don’t know if the fox had rabies, it’s important for the public to assume that it does.
“Right now we really have to assume that the fox was rabid for the safety of the victim and the safety of the animals involved,” said Spears.
Henrico police are also warning residents with pets to make sure their rabies vaccinations are up to date. They say anyone in this area that sees a fox to contact police immediately.
