Search underway for dog that bit
two children in Martinsville



Updated: Friday 12:37 p.m.
http://www.wdbj7.com

Authorities have been in touch with the dog owners' family. The owner, a truck driver, is out of town at the moment. We're told the dog escaped sometime Tuesday night. The owner's mother was unable to tell police whether or not the dog has up-to-date vaccinations.

The health department and police are looking for a dog that bit two children in Martinsville.

The incident happened Wednesday outside Albert Harris Elementary School. The kids weren't seriously hurt, but health officials fear the dog may have rabies.

Witnesses described the dog as a small-to-medium size pit bull/boxer mixed breed, tan with brown stripes along its side, and wearing a pink collar.

If you've seen it, call Martinsville Animal Control or the health department.

Here is the full news release:

Health Officials look for dog near Albert Harris Elementary School

A search is underway in the vicinity of Albert Harris Elementary School, on Smith Road in Martinsville, for a dog that reportedly bit two school children there yesterday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 25 at noon. Witnesses say a dog came onto the school property and was chasing children. The dog's owner, described as an adult African-American male, came out of the woods, grabbed the dog and said it had broken its chain. The dog was described as a small-to-medium size pit bull/boxer mixed breed, tan with brown stripes along its side, and wearing a pink collar.

When the children returned inside the School, School staff discovered that two children had been bitten. The School Resource Officer then searched the grounds for the dog and its owner, but found nothing. The Officer then conducted a door-to-door search in the adjacent neighborhood, but found no one who acknowledged knowing anything about the dog or its owner.

Today (Thursday, February 25) the School Resource Officer and officials from the Virginia Department of Health searched the vicinity of the School and the surrounding neighborhood again, but found no one who acknowledged seeing or knowing anything about this dog or its owner.

"We're concerned that this dog may have rabies, and that the children may have been exposed," said Tim Baker, Environmental Health Manager for the West Piedmont Health District. "Without knowing for sure that the dog's vaccinations were up to date, we have to recognize that rabies is a possibility."

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that is found in the saliva and brain tissue of infected mammals. Rabies is almost always fatal if left untreated. A highly effective vaccine is readily available, and is required by Virginia law for all dogs, cats, and ferrets beginning at four months of age.

In order to rule out the possibility of rabies and insure the safety of the children involved in this incident, either the dog must be found and quarantined for 10 days to see if it develops symptoms of rabies, or the children must receive a series of shots to protect them from the disease.

"We do not want to remove the dog from its owner, or put it down," says Baker. "We simply want to find out if the animal's rabies vaccinations are current, and make sure that the animal is not rabid. If we can do that, it will alleviate a great deal of concern for the health of these children, and for the dog. If we cannot find and quarantine the dog, the only way to protect the children is to treat them as if they were exposed."

If you have any information about this animal or its owner, please call Martinsville Animal Control at 276-638-8751 or the West Piedmont Health District of the Virginia Department of Health at 276-638-2311.