FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 28, 2014
Man Bitten near Hillcrest Drive at Hill Street Park in Frederick City;
Seeking Owner of Brownish, Medium-Sized, Possible Pit Bull-Mix Dog
FREDERICK, MD – The Frederick County Health Department (FCHD) received a report that a man was repeatedly bitten by an unidentified dog on Saturday, July 26, 2014, around 10:00pm near Hillcrest Drive at Hill Street Park in Frederick, Maryland. The FCHD needs to speak with the owner of the dog so that the bite victim may avoid receiving unnecessary post-exposure rabies vaccinations.
The dog is described as a brownish, medium-sized, medium hair length, possible pit bull-mix dog and was not leashed. The dog was wearing a collar. Anyone who has information about the owner’s identity is asked to contact the FCHD at 301-600-1717 or Frederick County Animal Control (FCAC) at 301-600-1544.
George Keller, Director for the Health Department’s Environmental Health Services advises the public, “To protect your family from possible rabies exposure, do not touch or play with wild or stray animals and make sure that your pets are currently vaccinated.”
Rabies is a viral disease that infects mammals (warm-blooded animals who nurse their young) and is spread by the saliva of the infected animal. Human cases of rabies are fatal if untreated. Symptoms of rabies in animals can include fear of water, limping, salivating, unusual friendly or aggressive behavior, or other atypical behavior such as nocturnal animals emerging during the daytime.
If you or someone in your family is bitten or scratched by a dog or cat, you should contact FCAC for assistance at 301-600-1544. Please attempt to obtain contact information from the animal owner so that appropriate action can be taken.
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