(Ithaca, NY – December 6, 2022) – The Tompkins County Health Department must locate a dog that bit a person around midday on Friday, December 2, 2022, at the Ithaca Dog Park, adjacent to the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park (805 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca).
The dog is described as a white and brown pit bull or pit bull mix named Benji, that was off-leash at the time of the bite. The bite occurred near the gate of the dog park. The owners are described as a male and female couple, with the woman presenting as being of Asian descent. She is described as having short-medium length black hair.
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 owner information and having 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 Rabies Vaccination Clinic for dogs, cats and ferrets, on January 18, 2023, from 6pm-8pm, at the Tompkins County SPCA Adoption Center (1640 Hanshaw Rd, Ithaca). For more information or to register for an appointment, go online to: 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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