The two confirmed cases of rabies should give pause to how lackadaisical the public is following the law when it comes to rabies vaccination.

Rabies vaccination for animals has been a long-standing law, but just two years ago, Decatur County made it mandatory to vaccinate all dogs, cats and ferrets.

Sure, there was a rush of people complying with the law when it first was enacted.

Now, one Bainbridge veterinarians office said following that first-year’s rush, nearly three-fourths of the annual reminders haven’t been renewed. This must mean one thing—there’s a lot of pet dogs, cats and perhaps ferrets not vaccinated against rabies.

There are now several individuals being treated for rabies following an encounter with the rabid donkey, including one individual who was infected after the donkey sneezed and some of the spray ended up in the eye of this person handling the donkey.

Rabies shouldn’t be taken lightly. That’s why if you have a pet dog, cat, ferret or even a horse, get those animals vaccinated.