Raccoon tests positive for rabies on Slades Farm Lane in Dartmouth
Dartmouth asks residents to watch for wild animals acting oddly and to keep away from them. A $20 rabies shot clinic for dogs and cats is set for Saturday, Nov. 14.
DARTMOUTH A raccoon from Slades Farm Lane in Dartmouth has tested positive for rabies, and town officials are asking residents to watch for wild animals that act oddly and to stay away from them, the town said in a notice posted Monday, Oct. 26.
Anyone who has had contact with a wild animal, or whose pet has, should call the Board of Health or Animal Control as soon as possible, the notice says. Dartmouth Animal Control can be reached at 508-910-1840. After hours, the town asks residents to call the Dartmouth Police Department at 508-910-1735. Anyone who has been in contact with wildlife should also call their doctor right away, the town said.
Twelve days earlier, on Oct. 14, the Marion Board of Health reported that a raccoon found near the water tower on Point Road had tested positive for rabies. Read that story.
How rabies spreads
More than 5,000 animals have tested positive for rabies in Massachusetts since 1992, according to the town's notice. Most were wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats, woodchucks and foxes, but every year some pets, cats in particular, and some farm animals contract the virus as well, the notice says.
Rabies affects the central nervous system of mammals. It spreads when an infected animal bites another animal or a person, and it can also pass when the animal's saliva gets into a scratch or other wound or into the eyes, nose or mouth, the town said. Once someone contracts it, rabies is almost always fatal, but it is 100% preventable.
What the town is asking
The town asked residents to report any wild animal acting strangely to Animal Control and to keep rabies shots current for their cats and dogs. Children and adults should not walk up to wild animals, and no one should handle wildlife, including babies and young animals, the notice says. Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators and problem animal control agents may handle wildlife that is not sick.
To keep wild animals away from homes, the town advised against feeding pets outdoors, since even an empty bowl can draw wildlife. Dogs should stay on a leash or inside a fenced yard rather than roam, garbage should go in barrels with tight lids, and a chimney cap and repairs to holes along roof edges and vents help keep animals out of the house, the notice says.
Low-cost shots on Nov. 14
Dartmouth Animal Control and Anchor Animal Hospital will hold a rabies vaccination clinic for dogs and cats on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 2 to 5 p.m. at 1383 Tucker Road, the town announced Thursday, Oct. 22. Shots cost $20 per pet, cash is accepted at the clinic, and pre-registration through the online form linked in the town's clinic notice is required. Dogs must stay leashed and cats must be in a carrier. The clinic is open to anyone in the community, and Animal Control takes questions at 508-910-1840.
What we know
- The case: a raccoon from Slades Farm Lane tested positive for rabies, the town said Oct. 26.
- If there was contact: call Animal Control at 508-910-1840 or the Board of Health, or police at 508-910-1735 after hours, and call a doctor.
- Pets: keep cats' and dogs' rabies shots current, and keep dogs leashed or fenced.
- The clinic: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2 to 5 p.m., 1383 Tucker Road, $20 per pet, registration required.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from two Town of Dartmouth notices: the rabies notice posted Oct. 26 and the vaccination clinic notice posted Oct. 22. We read both on Oct. 26 and checked each phone number, address and time against them. The Marion case comes from that town's Board of Health advisory, which we reported Oct. 19. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard: no one was contacted before this story was written. Questions to Dartmouth Animal Control and the Board of Health on when the raccoon was found and tested, and on any known exposures, are going out, and the story will be updated with the answers.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (2)
- Town of Dartmouth: Dartmouth Officials Encourage Wildlife Awareness Following Rabies CaseNews Flash posted Oct. 26, 2026. The positive raccoon, the contact numbers, the state figures and the safety steps. Read Oct. 26, 2026.
- Town of Dartmouth: Dartmouth Animal Control and Anchor Animal Hospital to Host Rabies Vaccination ClinicNews Flash posted Oct. 22, 2026. The Nov. 14 clinic. Read Oct. 26, 2026.