(Ithaca, NY, October 3) – The Tompkins County Health Department must locate a dog that bit a person on Thursday, September 29, 2022, between 1:30 and 2:30 PM, along a side trail leading from Upper Buttermilk Falls to La Tourelle Hotel.
The dog is described as a medium black and white dog, possibly a spaniel type, that was being walked on a leash. There were two women, possibly in their 60s or 70s, with one woman walking a small brown dog and another woman walking the black and white dog. After the bite occurred, the women appeared to walk along the path towards La Tourelle Hotel.
The Department seeks to verify vaccination status and health of the biting dog through an at home observation over a ten-day period. If the dog can be located and observed to be healthy by the Department, the risk of rabies infection can be ruled out and rabies post-exposure treatment for the person who was bitten will not be necessary.
Anyone with information regarding this dog is urged to call the Tompkins County Environmental Health Division at (607) 274-6688. Staff are on-call at this number to field calls related to rabies and bites, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We would like to remind the public the importance of getting bites checked as soon as possible to determine if rabies post-exposure treatment is needed. Please keep pets up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations and do not approach wildlife.
TCHD will be hosting a free Rabies Vaccination Clinic for dogs, cats and ferrets at the TCAT Bus Garage (737 Willow Ave., Ithaca) on Saturday, October 15th, 11am – 2pm. Register online at: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/rabies#clinics
Further information can be found at: tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/rabies.
The Tompkins County Health Department is your partner for a healthy community. Find us online at TompkinsCountyNY.gov/health, and follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TompkinsPublicHealth and on Twitter at @TompkinsHealth. Sign up to receive COVID-19 updates or other county announcements via email or text.
Media contact: Shannon Alvord, salvord@tompkins-co.org
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