A man was seen being attacked by a rabid fox in his own yard after the wild predator went after his dog.
Surveillance footage from March 20 revealed the startling moment Michael Martin got into a frightening scuffle with an infected fox that invaded his property in Kennebunk, Maine.
Martin first caught the unhinged animal going after his Golden Retriever, Teddy, in his yard, as the dog was heard barking while the fox hissed and pounced on the pup.
He quickly ran out for equipment to get rid of the fox, but when he returned home, the vicious animal was waiting for him in his driveway.
Just moments later, the fox pounced on Martin, raced around his feet and appeared to bite him as the worried owner jumped around in fear.
Martin then ran to get his gun and shot the fox in order to protect himself and his dog.
‘That thing goes and goes and growling, jumps and I put it down,’ he told WHDH.
‘The warden is asking why I shot it in the head because now I have to take it up to Augusta now to get it tested and I said what the heck else am I going to do?’
Surveillance footage captured the startling moment Michael Martin got into a frightening scuffle with a rabid fox
After the fox repeatedly pounced on him, Martin (pictured) shot the animal in the head to protect himself and his dog
The fox tested positive for rabies, prompting Martin to undergo a series of extremely painful rabies shots to protect himself against any disease it might have passed on to him.
The clip first showed his dog pouncing around the yard, trying to fight off the fox. The animal was heard screeching loudly while Teddy repeatedly barked at it.
The fox was then seen stalking Martin in his driveway while he unloaded supplies to try and get rid of it.
At one point, the sick fox laid on the pavement and appeared to stretch out while Martin tried to shoo it away.
Martin then went into the gated area of his yard, but within moments, the rabid fox slipped through a gap and attacked him.
The homeowner was heard screaming while he jumped to try and break free from the fox’s grip.
The video ended with Martin nearly falling on the fence while the fox scurried away.
Martin was then seen hopping around, appearing to react to an injury the animal gave him during the struggle.
Martin is seen jumping high in the air while the fox attacks him
Before the fox approached Martin, it got into a fight with his Golden Retriever named Teddy in the yard
Martin said his brave dog was miraculously left without a scratch on him following the incident and was given a booster shot to be safe.
He had to get a total of eight rabies shots himself – three on the first day of treatment and one shot every three days after that, the outlet reported.
The law clerk took to Facebook to share the clip, explaining that the shots ‘hurt like hell.’
‘Damn fox…….yes off to get rabies shot….thank god for the sig Christ thing was waiting for me,’ he wrote.
‘It was rabid yes I got the shots they hurt like hell more coming but can’t speed between humans they say. Though neighbors r starting to look appetizing.’
A similar incident occurred in 2022 when a retired nurse in New York was attacked by a rabid fox in her own front yard.
A gray fox clung onto Sherri Russo, sinking its fangs into the unsuspecting victim’s leg and hand sixteen times in the thirty-seconds-long attack.
It was only when a hero neighbor armed with a stick ran towards the beast that it released a screaming Sherri from its grip before slinking away.
When he returned home from getting supplies to get rid of the fox, the vicious animal was seen waiting in the driveway for Martin (far right)
He had to get a total of eight rabies shots himself – three on the first day of treatment and one shot every three days after that
‘When I got the first nip on the outside of my leg, I actually thought it was our neighbor’s dog,’ Russo said at the time.
‘I lifted my leg and was getting ready to say «Hey, what are you doing?» and shoo him away, but I looked down and I saw this gray fox.
‘Never in my wildest dreams did I realize there was a rabid fox.’
The brave neighbor managed to get Sherri into his car and to the hospital where the 16 puncture wounds on her left leg and right hand were cleaned and dressed.
The mom-of-one was then given the first of four rabies vaccines, a tetanus jab, immune globulin injections, and prescribed a series of antibiotics to tackle the infection.
While she was being treated in hospital, the fox was killed and tests at a nearby veterinary college confirmed it had tested positive for rabies.
