‘That fox was waiting for me’: Man describes attack by rabid animal

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    KENNEBUNK, Maine (WMTW) — A warning to be on the watch for rabid animals in the Kennebunk area.

Surveillance video captured the moment Michael Martin was attacked by a rabid fox in his own backyard in March.

Martin said he had just returned home when all hell broke loose.

“I see my dog getting into a tussle with something,” Martin said.

Teddy, Martin’s golden retriever, was protecting his turf and his pet duck in a fenced-in backyard off Spiller Drive in Kennebunk.

Martin said he tried to get rid of the fox that day using a softball bat and then his bow and arrow. He said when he ran out of arrows, he ran to Walmart. When he returned, he said the fox was stalking him in his driveway when he got out of the car.

“That fox was under that grill behind me, waiting for me,” he said.

Moments later, he said the fox attacked.

“I can’t believe this little bastard got me,” Martin said.

Martin said that’s when he got his gun and shot the animal.

“The thing goes and goes, growling, then jumps, and I put it down,” Martin said. “Wardens asked me why I shot it in the head because now I have to take it up to Augusta to test it. I said, ‘What the heck else am I going to do?'”

Martin said the fox tested positive for rabies, something confirmed by the state and town. He has undergone a series of rabies shots that he described as extremely painful.

“The needles are still just as long, they’re just not in the belly button,” Martin said. “I had to get eight shots total. But normally, it’s three when you first get over there and then one every three days after,” he said.

Martin doesn’t want anyone else to have to go through what he’s been through, so he’s sharing his story, especially since his property abuts the Oxbow Preserve, a popular spot with many walking trails.

As for Teddy?

“Teddy here — the vets checked him out at Maine Animal Clinic, not a scratch on him,” Martin said.

The Kennebunk Land Trust has posted a warning sign at the beginning of the Oxbow Preserve for people using these trails. Officials said if you see a rabid animal, call animal control at 207-985-2102, extension 1661, or call 911 if you have been bitten or the animal is excessively aggressive.

Maine has dozens of confirmed cases of rabies every year, including 61 in 2024 and 74 in 2023. In 2006, there were 127 cases of rabies in Maine. The most common animals to test positive are raccoons, skunks and bats.

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