DEDHAM, Mass. — A 9-year-old boy from Dedham is still undergoing treatment for rabies exposure after he was attacked by a rabid fox Sunday afternoon while playing basketball.
Patrick Morrison was shooting hoops in his driveway Sunday when he noticed a fox coming around the right side of his home by his garage.
“We made eye contact,” he said. “I stumbled onto my front lawn. Then I ran across the street, and then it was still after.”
Morrison said the fox bit him several times and kept chasing him from Chute Road to Manning Road.
He added, “It hurt really bad.”
His older brother, Michael, was inside just steps away.
“I heard him screaming a ton,” said Michael. “So, I looked out my bedroom window and he was running.”
Neighbors nearby reportedly scared off the fox that bolted away into the woods nearby.
Patrick rushed inside his home.
Michael remembered, “When he got inside, he showed us all his marks and stuff.”
Patrick’s family brought him to the hospital, where he began treatment for rabies exposure.
Dedham Animal Control said this week that same fox attacked two dogs in the Sandy Valley Road area of Dedham.
The fox was captured and tested positive for rabies, they confirmed.
Patrick explained Saturday, “Maybe there were babies nearby in the woods back there and it was just trying to protect them.”
He’s planning on getting his fifth of six rabies shots Sunday, one week after the attack.
If you or someone you know had contact with the fox, please contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617-983-6800. Owners of pets who have had contact with the fox should contact their veterinarian.
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