CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A young girl and teenage boy are scheduled for rabies shots later this week after a stray pit bull bites the two in Keystone Heights over the weekend.
After the attack a neighbor grabbed a gun and shot and killed the dog.
Veterinarians say they really appreciate people stepping up and adopting stray dogs, because their shelters are typically full, but the best thing to do first is bring the dog to a clinic and have the dog checked out medically and for a possible microchip.
The dog, a skinny, sick-looking gray pit bull was tied to a tree out front of a home in Keystone Heights after 16-year-old Robert Tarvit took in the stray dog a couple weeks ago and was going to give him to his uncle.
They had given the hungry dog food and water which was still near him when Robert Tarvit's sister, Tara Tarvit, walked up to pet the dog.
"I was taking out the trash and heard my little sister crying, and so I ran over and my brother was holding the dog and I picked her up and ran inside, I told my mom that she needs to deal with Tara while I deal with the dog," Robert Tarvit said.
His friend Collin Stewart heard Robert Tarvit's calls for help and rushed over to help.
"I went to make sure everything was good with him and Tara, and the dog just pretty much just ran up and got me," Stewart said.
The dog bit Stewart on his hand and Tara on her right armpit and chest.
"I punched the dog in head for biting my sister twice and it ran straight in between my legs and attacked Collin, so I picked up metal pole from our pool and hit it upside the head," Robert Tarvit said.
Robert Tarvit ran to a neighbors' house who got his gun and shot the dog in the neck and front shoulders, killing him.
Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Broadhurst with Clay County Animal Care and Protective Services, warns people not to approach animals with food around them, especially starving ones.
"It's natural for them to want to protect their resource especially if they don't know you, they're hungry and you just gave them food," Broadhurst said.
Broadhurst also said killing a dog after he's bitten someone makes it a lot harder to test the animal for rabies.
"They need to be housed for quarantine if someone has been bitten by a dog. Ideally the dog would be alive for rabies quarantine so we can observe them for 10 days. Because if the dog doesn't show signs in 10 days, then the person doesn't have to get post-exposure rabies injections," Broadhurst said.
Broadhurst did say that it is possible to test a dead dog for rabies if the body is in good enough condition, but if there is too much brain damage, the brain tissue necessary for testing isn't viable. She said its best, if possible, to keep the animal alive and call animal control.
Veterinarians said if you have any other questions or concerns, there are a ton of resources online that offer safety tips and suggestions when it comes to taking in a stray dog.