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Raccoon tests positive for rabies, health department issues warning

BRIGHTON HEIGHTS, Pa. — His wound is healing, but a 7-year-old dog named Blue will have to spend six more days in the family basement under quarantine, after he was attacked by a rabid raccoon.

"The dog was in the backyard and the coon came out of the woods and attacked her dog," neighbor Ed Sardon said.

Officials at the Allegheny County Health Department want residents who live near the 4000 block of Brighton Heights Road to stay away from wild or stray animals. The raccoon, which attacked Blue over the weekend, was shot and killed by the homeowner, and did test positive for rabies.

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Some pet owners said raccoon sightings are rare for the neighborhood and they aren't worried, but others thought if an animal would take on a 60-pound pit bull in its own backyard, what could it do to a child?

"I got four kids, and I don't know if I'll let them play in the backyard," Sardon said.