A man in Wilkinson County came across a fox on his morning run last week.
It crept up from behind.
"I turned to look at the fox. It was coming from the median toward me," says 46-year-old Peter Robinson.
Four miles into his 12-mile run, Robinson broke course.
"I was running the median in a straight line until it came back from behind and then I started to do the dance. I zigged and zagged," he says.
He grabbed the first thing within reach to defend himself.
"I kept squirting water bottle at it and that didn't work so I threw my water bottles at it. That didn't work. He started lunging at me so I started kicking. And I kicked until he was down. And I finished him off with a big rock."
The North Central Health District issued a warning of rabid animals because within the last two weeks, a fox tested positive for rabies, and two others were put down because of strange behavior.
Robinson has run the same route everyday for the past month.
"My heartbeat was running at 124 beats per minute right before it happened and it spiked to 142," he says, pointing to a chart. He wears a watch that monitors his heart rate when he runs.
He crossed paths with the fox on Hwy. 57 in Wilkinson County. Robinson described the size of the animal to be about the same as Marshall, his miniature poodle. Unlike his pup, the fox appeared rabid.
"He looked real ragged, real thin. His fur was patchy. It didn't look healthy at all," Robinson recalls.
Though this experience doesn't change where he runs, it changes the way he runs.
"I will not listen to music while I'm running anymore. I wasn't listening to it at the time, but I had it with me. And if I had my earphones in, I would've never heard it coming from behind."
Robinson was not hurt, but is getting vaccinated against rabies.