ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - A Central Florida boy had to go to the ER after a raccoon sunk its teeth into him.
Eleven-year-old Sawyer Inman said that a walk with his dog near Orlando on Friday and was interrupted by a charging raccoon. He said his dog, Olive, barked and bit the raccoon.
“That’s when the raccoon growled at Olive, and she started yelping, and I got scared. I thought she got bit, and it was like a glass beer bottle right next to where it happened, so I picked it up and started whacking the raccoon in the head until it got knocked out,” said Sawyer.
Sawyer then brought the raccoon back to his house. Somewhere in all of this, the wild animal bit him.
“I immediately called mom and told her about the situation,” he said.
Sawyer’s mom said she never thought a raccoon would be a threat to her son in this neighborhood.
“That definitely was not something on my concern list,” said Christina Inman.
She said she took Sawyer to the ER for rabies shots.
Olive was up to date on her vaccines and should be OK.
The family contacted health officials about the attack. They came to pick up the raccoon, which is currently being tested for rabies and distemper.
Christina said she wants to get the word out so other people in the area do not get hurt.
“Kids walking animals all the time out here by themselves, I wouldn’t have thought about it,” she said, “so, yeah, it’s super scary.”
The family is still waiting on certain test results.
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