Reporter: Rachel Schaerr l Videographer: Dan Heffner

Bedford Co., VA – the Central Virginia Health Department is warning Bedford County residents to be extra vigilant after a rabid coyote attacked a family's dog. About 25 letters went out to neighbors after the February 14th attack on Glass Hill Road.

The dog was bitten on its leg but fortunately it was up to date on its rabies vaccine and expected to be fine. this is the first confirmed case of rabies in the county so far this year.

The dog's owner Dee Arrington woke-up at 1:30 a.m. to find three-year-old Dixie yelping and a coyote circling the dog house.

“It just looked real creepy it was like lurking around the dog house real slow,” Arrington said.

Dixie had bite marks on her hind legs. Arrington says if she wasn't tied up, the coyote probably would have dragged her off and killed her.

Arrington's husband grabbed his gun and killed the coyote. the image of that night is still fresh in Dee Harrington's mind.

“When I start the car in the morning I just look around,” Arrington said.

After taking pictures of the dead animal, the Arringtons called animal control and had it tested for rabies. they came back positive, no surprise to their stepdaughters who saw it acting strangely the day before.

“They had stopped and seen it just kind of walking around and it had circled the truck. they took pictures of it on their cell phone,” Arrington said.

Steve Simpson, the Environmental Manager for the Central Virginia Health District says rabies symptoms range from paralysis, blindness, aggressiveness or an animal that just lies around. last year 11 animals in Bedford County tested positive for rabies. More rabies attacks are reported in the springtime because it's mating season.

If you suspect an animal is rabid, call your local animal control first and then report it to the department of health.

MEDFORD (AP) — a coyote has become the 10th animal in JosephineCounty to test positive for rabies over the past 13 months.

The coyote was found in the Cave Junction area, where sevenfoxes and one goat have all died from the disease. The other rabiesvictim was a fox near Merlin, The Mail Tribune reported.

The coyote has yet to be tested to determine whether itcontracted the same strain of bat rabies found in the other deadanimals.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say it’s likelythat other animals have contracted rabies in the Cave Junctionarea.

‘Maybe we hit the jackpot and it’s the only one,” said ColinGillin, the department’s state wildlife veterinarian. ‘Butnormally, when you find it, it’s in others.”

If it is the bat strain as expected, the coyote could havecontracted it from eating an infected bat — the common theorybiologists have for the dead foxes, Gillin said.

But more likely, the coyote could have contracted it fromcontact with a fox, skunk ‘or something we haven’t found yet,”Gillin said.

The animal was seen last week rolling and drooling by a womanwho reported it to OFDW wildlife biologist Steve Niemela. He droveto Cave Junction and discovered the coyote alive and in brush neara cemetery. He killed it with a shotgun and sent the body off fortesting.

The latest incident had Josephine County health officialswarning pet and horse owners to consider vaccinations for theiranimals.

Animals such as horses and cats are not required to bevaccinated. Rabies symptoms in wildlife include lethargy, walkingin circles, loss of muscular coordination, convulsions,irritability or aggressiveness, disorientation and excessivedrooling.

, and showing no fear of humans.

ODFW officials say the agency will release a draft plan to trackrabies in Josephine County and determine how widespread it hasbecome.