The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Section confirmed today, Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the third positive rabies case in Polk County this year.

On August 24, 2011, the victim’s dog killed a bat and brought it into her home located on Harvard Street in Lakeland. Polk County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Officers were contacted and responded. The bat was impounded and its carcass was sent to the state laboratory for rabies testing. The test results were returned to PCSO today, confirming that the bat tested positive for rabies.  

The victim’s dog will be quarantined for 45 days, and was current on all vaccines.