The Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory has confirmed that the skunk that attacked a dog near the Boothbay Common on Friday was rabid.

Animal Control Officer Betsy Pratt said she responded to the call for help at 2 a.m. on November 22.

A Boothbay resident told Pratt that a skunk had entered their elderly Australian shepherd’s pen and was viciously attacking it. By the time Pratt arrived, the dog had been brought inside by its owner and the skunk was scurrying across the street.

“I thought the skunk must be OK at first because it was running well as it ran across the road,” Pratt said. “But then it turned and charged me.”

Pratt said the skunk came within five feet of her before her husband shot and killed it.

Unfortunately, the shepherd did not survive the ordeal. Pratt said the owners elected to have the dog euthanized because of its age, its injuries and the risk of rabies.

Pratt said this has not been a particularly bad year for rabies. The Maine Testing Laboratory and USDA APHIS Wildlife Services confirmed 40 positive rabies cases in Maine between January 1 and October 4, 2013. The majority of cases were raccoons and skunks; three positives (prior to this incident) were from Lincoln County. In 2012, there were 87 confirmed rabies cases in Maine and 65 in 2011.

The best defense against rabies is to be sure your pets are up to date on rabies vaccinations and to avoid contact with wild animals, Pratt said.

“Be sure to watch your children when they are outside,” she said, “and beware of any wild animals that act strangely or approach you or your pets.”