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From the height of "raccoon rabies" in the latter part of the 1990s, cresting in 1997 when there were 106 laboratory confirmed cases, rabies has ebbed and flowed roughly every three to five years in Orange County. There was a very sharp decrease after 1998, for instance, reaching a low of nine cases in 2000, followed by an upsurge of 28 confirmed cases in 2002. Similarly, there was a sharp dip in 2003 to only five confirmed cases, followed by a progressive increase over the following three years, reaching 27 in 2006. The latest crest in the cycle lasted from 2005 until 2008, followed by the long trough that brings us to the present. Our concern with rabies mirrors the very real risks of a disease that is fatal to people and pets alike. Exposure will most likely occur to our animals through their contact with wildlife, but humans are also attacked by foxes, beavers, raccoons, and skunks. Witness the recent experience of two Hillsborough residents who were attacked by a rabid fox. Timely medical treatment after an exposure can prevent rabies in humans. However, there is no such treatment for our animal companions. If a dog, cat or ferret is already vaccinated against rabies when exposed to rabies, North Carolina general statute 130A- 197 requires that the animal be boostered with a rabies vaccine within five days of exposure to remain currently vaccinated. According to the same statute, however, if they are not currently vaccinated the only choices are to euthanize them or to confine them for a period typically lasting six months to be sure they have not contracted rabies. Notable among the worst -case scenarios are the ones where there are multiple numbers of human and animal exposures to a rabid animal. In these situations, many individuals- - sometimes scores — require rabies shots because they may have handled kittens or puppies from a litter with a rabid one. These are intensive and costly public health efforts and even still there is the persistent fear that someone may be missed with fatal consequences. In our present context, owners of cats and dogs (and other animals) should recognize the very real risks of rabies exposure and we must be doubly sure to protect our own animals by conforming to the following guidelines. In doing so, we will be playing a pivotal role in protecting their pets, themselves, and the community as a whole from rabies.