Health Officials Seek Dog After Bite Incident in Ithaca

Authorities say locating the dog is critical to determine if it may have been carrying rabies.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 8:10pm

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A ghostly, translucent X-ray image revealing the internal bone structure and teeth of a dog's head, conceptually illustrating the need to verify the health of the animal involved in a recent bite incident.An X-ray image of a dog's head provides critical insight into the health status of the animal involved in a recent bite incident in Ithaca.Ithaca Today

Health officials in Tompkins County are asking for the public's help in locating a dog that bit a person on Friday afternoon in Ithaca, New York. The incident happened around 4:50 p.m. on April 10 on West Seneca Street near Thayer Appliances. The dog is described as medium-sized with a yellow-brown coat, and the owner is described as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s.

Why it matters

Identifying the dog is crucial to determine if it was carrying rabies, as the person who was bitten may need to undergo post-exposure rabies treatment if the dog's health status cannot be verified.

The details

Officials said the person who was bitten did not immediately realize the severity of the injury, and no contact information was exchanged at the time. If the dog is located, it would undergo a standard 10-day observation period to confirm it is healthy and not infectious. If the dog cannot be found or its health status verified, the person who was bitten may need to receive a series of rabies injections.

  • The incident happened around 4:50 p.m. on April 10, 2026.

The players

Tompkins County Whole Health

The local health department in Tompkins County, New York, which is leading the effort to locate the dog involved in the bite incident.

Thayer Appliances

A business located near where the dog bite incident occurred on West Seneca Street in Ithaca.

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What’s next

If the dog is located, it would undergo a standard 10-day observation period to confirm it is healthy and not infectious. If the dog cannot be found or its health status verified, the person who was bitten may need to receive a series of rabies injections.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the importance of reporting any animal bite incidents to local health authorities, as identifying the animal is crucial to determine if the victim needs to undergo potentially painful and costly rabies treatment.