GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County is issuing a warning after a child was the victim of the area's first rabies attack of the year.
Channel 2's Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas spoke to the family, who say they were surprised by the animal that caused the scare.
The house belonging to the boy's grandparents backs up to the Yellow River, which is a highway for all sorts of animals.
It wasn't a wild coyote or raccoon that caused the problem, but a neighborhood dog.
Kaleb Williams, 11, has bandages on his leg from where one of two neighborhood Rottweilers bit him as he tried to save his furry friend, Kaiser.
"I thought I was going to see my dog get teared apart," he said.
The family told Thomas, Kaleb had Kasier on a leash and was in the family's garage when the two dogs charged in. Kaleb's mother and grandfather were able to fight the dogs off.
The animals ran away.
"Dogs had been here all day. I had no idea they were vicious," Kaleb's grandfather, Bill Frost, said.
One was later killed by a passing car and that's when Gwinnett Animal Control discovered it had rabies. Kaleb, his twin brother and mom have all received shots the past couple of weeks.
"You can imagine my wife and I are panicking. I'd never expected to be exposed to rabies," Frost said.
Animal Control said everyone will be OK. The second dog tested negative for the disease but was impounded.
Kaleb is just glad his shots are almost over and Kaiser is still around.
"I'm glad my buddy is ok," Kaleb said.
Gwinnett Animal Control said the owner of the Rottweillers was charged with two counts of no restraint and two counts of public nuisance.
Thomas spoke to the dog's owner briefly on the phone. He said he was having a rough day and would call him back. He never did.