Superior Police are on a the prowl for a four-legged suspect. Catching the culprit could save two Superior teens some pain.
Police are looking for information on the ownership and vaccination status of a dog that bit two teens on Tuesday, according to Capt. Charles LaGesse of the Superior Police Department. If the owner does not step forward with the information, the boys will have to begin a series of rabies shots.
"It's very important that the owner come forward," said Chris Wagner, Superior's community service officer in charge of animal control. Although, she stressed, the owner is not in any trouble. "We just need her to come forward to spare these kids going through the series of shots," Wagner said.
The teens were bitten by a Husky-like dog while they walked on the Tri-County Corridor near the baseball diamond at Bear Creek Park. The boys reported the dog was being walked by a woman in her late 40s or early 50s with blond hair.
The dog broke loose and ran to the boys, biting both of them on the legs. The woman called her dog and left the area in a silver Ford Taurus.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies is a viral disease that infects the brain. Without treatment, it is almost always fatal.
"It's a very serious disease," Wagner said.
Although only 39 cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. since 1990, up to 30,000 people a year are treated for exposure after being bitten by animals.
Treatment is a series of five shots that should start as soon as possible, according to the CDC.
"It's not as horrible as we remember," Wagner said, but "it's something that's not pleasant."
Even if the dog is vaccinated against rabies, it will need to be in quarantine for 10 days to watch for any symptoms of the disease. Quarantine can take place in the owner's home if the animal is kept isolated.
Wagner said in her 17 years in enforcement, she has never had a quarantined animal show positive for rabies.
"But you don't even want to mess with it," she said.
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Anybody with information is asked to call the Superior Police Department at (715) 395-7234 or the Superior Police Department Tipline at (715) 395-7468.
