HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Police are on the lookout for a fox that bit a Henrico homeowner, according to Henrico Police spokesman Lt. Chris Eley. The fox was spotted Thursday morning chasing a dog in Pam Hope's backyard along the 4900 block of Penick Road, near Glenside Drive and Staples Mill Road.
"[Hope] attempted to intervene and the fox ran back towards the open gate and bit the victim on their knee before running into the wooded area behind the home adjacent to Glenside Drive. Additionally, the Henrico Animal Protection Police received a report of the fox attacking a cat in the area as well," Lt. Eley said.
"It was big, the biggest fox I’d ever seen,"Pam Hope said. She said she was out in the yard with her dog, named Hope, when she looked up to see the fox attacking her pet. Pam Hope grabbed the closest weapon she could find, a rake, and used it to try to get the fox away from her dog.
"I was scared she was going to get killed," Pam Hope said. "It was just a reaction because I wanted to make sure my baby was OK."
The fox bit both Hope and Pam Hope. They had visible wounds on their legs and knee respectively. Pam Hope had to have five rabies shots.
"Right now we have to assume the fox was rabid for the safety of the victim and the animals involved," Lt. Shawn Sears with Henrico Police Animal Protection, said.
The fox has not yet been captured and police advised neighbors "exercise caution" until the fox is stopped. Anyone who spots the fox was asked to call Henrico Police at 501-5000.
