The dog mauled by a rabid coyote in New Jersey earlier this month will be confined and quarantined for six months after health officials determined it wasn't up to date on its rabies vaccinations.
The labrador retriever named Jack was attacked by the female coyote in Saddle River last week and left with wounds that required 30 stitches to close.
Then on Monday morning, a neighbor was attacked by what authorities believe was the same rabid coyote. The 77-year-old man has received eight rabies shots and is continuing to undergo anti-rabies treatment, officials said.
The female coyote was tracked down and euthanized shortly after the attack on the man, who was working in his yard in the Twin Brooks-area when the coyote bit him.
The coyote later tested positive for rabies, according to the New Jersey Department of Health, which conducted the exam.
It is the sixth coyote in New Jersey to be identified as rabid in the last 25 years, according to the Department of Health.
Saddle River police and city officials are still looking for a possible mate or other possible offspring of the rabid coyote.
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Workers in the area Monday said they saw a coyote acting aggressively toward dogs; police said coyotes are attracted to the canines' sound.
"She was not scared of us, didn't run ... kind of challenged us and moved away," said Saddle River Police Capt. Jason Cosgriff. "A lot of Saddle River is woods, lots of places for coyotes to run around."
Anyone who sees a wild animal that appears sick or is acting aggressively or is unusually friendly should call police, they say. Coyotes are normally shy animals, according to the health department.
