By Jodi Hausen,Staff Writer

WILTON – A beagle that was attacked last Friday by a rabid skunk is being quarantined for 45 days, according to the dog’s owners.

Marie Omer Smith, of 72 Bubier Road, said her dog, Roxie, was chained to her doghouse Friday night when she was attacked by a skunk.

The skunk chased the yelping dog around her house and then jumped on her back. Eventually, Smith’s husband shot the skunk, which later tested positive for rabies.

“It was very scary watching it and not being able to do anything,” Smith said Monday.

They are unsure if the dog was bitten and, because it was current on its rabies vaccination, it will be confined for 45 days.

Dogs that are not current with their shots face six months of quarantine after positive exposure to ra- bies, according to Wayne Atwood, animal control officer for six area towns.

Atwood has handled nine animals that have tested positive for rabies – skunks and raccoons – this year. He serves as the animal control officer for Livermore, Livermore Falls, Farmington, Wilton, New Sharon and Chesterville.

The skunk’s attack on Roxie was typical behavior for a rabid animal.

“If they’re sick, they’ll do that,” he said.

His advice: “Leave the wildlife alone.”

The natural instinct of wildlife is to flee human contact. If a wild animal is acting strange, leave it alone, he said.