Posted on 07/11/2012 8:38:28 AM PDT by nickcarraway
How far would you go to protect your family's pet? One teenager's encounter with a rabid fox showed just what she would do to defend the dog she loves so much.
"It just looked almost like a pet, like a dog," recalls Kathie Fisher. "Kinda stood there and sniffed the air with its head."
Kathie Fisher recalls her experience about a week ago. She was getting groceries out of her car and turned around to find a wild fox.
"He didn't seem mean or aggressive, it wasn't foaming out the mouth," Fisher said.
Nobody thought anything of it. Then the fox came back the next day and came after Vinny - her daughter Morgan's dog.
"I heard him barking, and I seen the fox grab him and take him out around by the neck, so I panicked and ran outside," Morgan said.
The 16-year-old says from there, she went into attack mode. She says she grabbed the fox up and started choking it. Then she tried to knock the fox out by slamming it into a pole.
Seeing that the fox wasn't giving up, she ran into her kitchen and grabbed a knife.
"I moved my hand and I stabbed him twice," Morgan said. "I thought he was dead so I started getting up and he jumped up and he bit me and scratched me."
It took sheriff's deputies to shoot the fox down, after it attempted to attack them as well. On Monday you could still see three bullet holes in the ground.
The fox was tested and discovered to have rabies, prompting the Department of Health to issue a rabies alert. Morgan and Vinny are currently being treated with rabies shots for the next few weeks.
While most health officials would advise against Morgan's actions, she says it was a no-brainer.
"I didn't want to lose him, I just got him," Morgan said. "I don't care what would have happened to me, as long as he was safe."
That rabies alert is still in effect in Gulf County. Health officials are urging you to stay away from wild animals.
Ping
Brave.
Determination and fight, backed up with plenty of adrenaline. Wow!
How did she know it was rabid?
Bunk!!!!
She fights like a girl! If we had a modicum of what she has, we could all take our country back. :)
Read it. She said it didn’t appear rabid. That was discovered when they tested after authorities got it.
Around here, any fox that allows itself to be seen for any amount of time has got something wrong with it.
They’re anything but rare and I’ve only seen a few in the wild and I spend a lot of time in the woods. Most I’ve seen were crossing the far end of a field or something at dawn. Very secretive critters.
Heros come in all shapes and sizes, and this young woman is one of them.
She didn't know it was until the carcass was tested.
About 3 years ago, my parents yellow lab fought with a rabid fox in their back yard. Every time my mom would open the sliding door to try to get the dog inside, the fox would try to run in. Mom would slam the door on the fox and the dog would drag him back outside. My mom had called my dad at their shop, a short distance away. He showed up and had nothing but a big stick, but he killed the fox with it. Not bad for a 74 year old guy with Parkinson’s!
Rabid Fox Attack? What has Brian Kilmeade done now?
I actually fought off a rabid raccoon once that was attacking a neighbor’s shiatsu. Was trying to impress the woman. Fortunately, I wasn’t bitten. Next time, I’ll try to figure out a safer way to play the Lothario!
Sorry. You are so correct.
I shamefully only read the headlines.
I apologize for my stupidity.
I rarely do something so dumb. But this time I hit the jackpot in dumbness.
A friendly acting wild animal around me and mine is DRT, period.
We were at my brother’s farm a few years ago. In the daytime, a skunk started approaching us. One of his dogs kept it at bay (got skunked anyway) until my brother could get his gun and shoot it. We knew it was rabid because they don’t come out during the day and don’t come near people, either. Foxes don’t generally come around people, either. Besides, maybe she didn’t know it was rabid until they tested the fox.
How hard would it be for you to tell us where this happened?
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