The Tompkins County Health Department says they are looking for a dog that bit a person on West Court Street in Ithaca on Sunday to make sure the dog did not have a rabies infection. The incident occurred on December 12 at around 2:30 p.m. on West Court Street between North Plain Street and North Albany Street.
The dog is described as “a medium-sized white or pale, short-haired dog. It was accompanied by two women and another dog described as a Doberman. The woman who walks the biting dog is said to have brown hair in a ponytail and to wear a black tracksuit. The woman who leads the Doberman is described as having blonde hair, a white jacket, and black pants. After the bite incident, one of the women entered the Ithaca Ballet Center on the corner of North Plain and Esty Streets and took out a couple of napkins or paper towels for the person bitten. “
The Tompkins County Department of Health stated that it “must review the vaccination status and health of the biting dog over a ten day observation period. If the dog can be located by the department and determined to be healthy, the risk of rabies infection can be ruled out. “
If health officials can’t rule out the possibility that the dog has rabies, the person who was bitten may need to undergo a series of rabies treatments that include painful injections.
Anyone with information about the dog is encouraged to call the Tompkins County Environmental Health Division at 607-274-6688.
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