rabies: August 2010 Archives

We got a call from a San Pedro resident named Cheryl today who told us she and her dog, Scooby, were attacked and bitten the other night by a raccoon as they walked along the ocean cliff wall in San Pedro's Point Fermin Park.

She said she often leash walks her dog -- a Chiahuahua-Jack Russell mix -- at the park in the

evenings. But on Saturday night, she said a raccoon bounded over the wall from the other (cliff) side, biting her dog and then her on the leg, running circles around them. The racoon then literally chased them across the park to their car.

Cheryl is now going through a series of shots in case the animal had rabies. Her dog had to be taken to the vet ER, but he also will be OK. She didn't report the incident to L.A. Animal Services, but that would probably be a good idea (though a report may have been filed after-the-fact through the required medical reporting procedures),

She feels the problem goes back to people feeding the racoons and/or the feral cats whose food is then shared and consumed by other wildlife.

Raccoon attacks are rare, but do happen. It's always good to stay on alert when you're out walking and to remember that wild animals can be unpredictable. And sometimes they can seemingly come at you from out of nowhere.