Rabid dog bites three people

It was one of five puppies brought into the country from Sri Lanka by an animal charity.

Kim Cooling, who runs the Animal SOS charity, was one of the people attacked by the dog.

The rabid puppy arrived at the kennels in Essex on Thursday of last week. It was one of five rescued street dogs imported from Sri Lanka by a charity.

Staff thought the dogs were not well so they were kept isolated from the other animals.

Before the eight week old puppy died yesterday morning it had bitten three people, including two of the kennel staff, who are routinely vaccinated against rabies.

The charity - Animal SOS Sri Lanka - has brought some 40 dogs into Britain in the last few years.

It was set up by a British woman after a trip there in 1992.

Its aim was to establish a centre in Sri Lanka, where rabies is endemic, to care for stray dogs.

The charity's founder, Kim Cooling, one of those bitten, denies it's wrong to bring animals into Britain from countries where there's rabies.

After the disease was confirmed last night, the other puppies were put down and those who'd been bitten were given precautionary vaccinations and are being monitored by doctors.

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