Rabies is often associated with wild animals behaving aggressively, rats near human living spaces and even stray dogs and cats, but this Rabies Awareness Week, we wanted to share the facts about rabies and how to protect our beloved pets while living safely with our wild neighbors. 

Rabies is a preventable disease with proper vaccination, which starts with our furry best friends at home. Virginia State law and Alexandria City ordinance require all dogs, cats and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. All required vaccines can be administered by your pet’s vet at their annual check up, and the AWLA offers free rabies vaccines at pop-up pet care clinics in underserved neighborhoods. Learn more about our most recent clinic HERE.

Vaccinating your pets against rabies is one of the easiest ways to prevent the disease from spreading in our community, says Chief of Alexandria Animal Services Kevin Hearst. Once that’s done, take your knowledge a step further by educating yourself about wildlife in your area. Is that what a fox usually sounds like, or is it in distress? Is it normal to see an opossum during the day? Knowing more about your wild neighbors can help you be on the lookout for potential warning signs.

Signs of rabies include excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth, erratic walking and extreme legarthy or unexpected aggression from an animal that would normally run away frightened. Seeing a nocturnal animal during the day is not a warning sign, but more often means that they are habituated to humans and seeking out food when hungry, even during daylight hours. If you do see a wild animal or a stray pet that appears to be in distress, please call the AWLA at 703-746-4774.  Our staff can help determine if a wild animal is in distress and needs the assistance of our trained Animal Services Officers.

Chief Hearst emphasizes that part of educating yourself about wildlife, is letting wild animals stay wild. Never encourage wildlife to approach you or your pets and never approach sick or injured wildlife. Our Animal Services Officers are trained to assist wild animals, but unless an animal is in distress, it is happiest at a distance from people and pets. 

During Rabies Awareness Week and every week, help your community keep this preventable disease under control. To learn more about rabies prevention in Alexandria, read HERE.