Dog defends owner from rabid raccoon during Poconos hike

BUSHKILL, Pa. – Officials say a hiker in Pennsylvania’s Poconos Mountains was attacked by a rabid raccoon and defended by his dog, who pulled the varmint off.

A spokeswoman for the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Center says the raccoon “came out of nowhere” and lunged at the 60-year-old man’s legs. Kathleen Sandt tells LehighValleyLive.com it was muddy where the man was hiking and he fell and was bitten several more times by the raccoon.

She says the man’s black lab named Fasha jumped into action, pulling the animal off the owner and immobilizing it.

The dog, named after dog in the Arlo Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant,” wasn’t harmed in the Jan. 28 attack. The raccoon carcass tested positive for rabies. The man received treatment.