Neighbors concerned about rabies alert in Hall County

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Hall County neighborhood is on alert after a rabid raccoon tangled with a pack of dogs. On Friday afternoon, a county animal control officer posted a warning for residents living along Reed Drive in Oakwood.

Channel 2's Berndt Petersen was in Hall County, where he talked to neighbors about the problem.

"We had to shoot one.  We shot one right here beside the house,” homeowner Kay Brady said.

Animal Control says the raccoon that fought with the dogs tested positive for rabies.

"The raccoon came out in the middle of the day. That alone is strange for a raccoon. The dogs saw it and attacked it--and the raccoon attacked back,” Animal Control Director Mike Ledford said.

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​​​​It’s Hall County's first rabies case of the new year. Animal Control says there were nine last year. Officials remind residents to keep an eye on small children, get pets vaccinated,and be on the lookout for any wild animals acting strangely. They can’t be sure if the rabid animal infected anything else before it was caught.

Homeowners say raccoons are showing up more often in this neck of the woods.

"It was huge. The neighbor shot it a couple of times first. Then I came home from work. Wow. It was like we couldn't kill the thing,” Michael Brady said.

Cox Media Group