Rabid Dog in Stephens County Lake Community Has Neighbors Concerned

People living in a Stephens County lake community are worried after a neighborhood dog turned out to have rabies.

It happened Sunday March 29th in the Seven Forks-Tahoe Trail neighborhood off Hwy 328/Gumlog Road on Lake Hartwell.

The dog, a Lab, came on to a homeowner’s property and attacked another dog that was tied up.

Both dogs were severely injured and the Lab was taken to a vet in Franklin County, according to Franklin County Environmental Health Director Louis Korff.

Korff said the Lab was later confirmed to have had rabies.

“It displayed some neurological signs,” Korff said. “As a result, it was euthanized. The head was sent for testing and lo and behold this dog was rabid. Not only was it rabid, it lived in a neighborhood.”

The dog that the Lab attacked was also injured, but because it had no proof of a current rabies vaccination, it was also euthanized, according to Toccoa-Stephens County Humane Shelter Director Jeff Roberts.

Roberts said a number of people were exposed to the rabid Retriever and their health was also put at risk.

“We don’t know of any people that were attacked, but because of just the mere contact with the dog and its saliva, eight people have had to start the series of post-exposure shots,” Roberts said.

The case of the rabid Retriever is the second confirmed case of rabies in a domestic pet in as many weeks in our area.

Last week, we told you about a Franklin County woman who was recently attacked by a rabid cat on her farm in the Red Hill Community.

She had to undergo a series of post exposure shots after the cat bit and clawed her on her legs.

Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio, Toccoa contributed to this report.