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The requirement for a rabies booster depends upon the vaccine used and state laws.

The earliest signs of rabies in dogs are anxiety, nervousness, mild agitation, and unusual behavior changes. These changes progress into aggression, disorientation, and tremors. The final phase is paralysis.

Otto was vaccinated several more times with the five-way vaccines before I adopted him, but I'm not going to talk about those vaccines right now; I want to focus on the rabies vaccine – the only vaccine that dog owners are legally required to give their dogs in most states. Rabies vaccination earned this special" legal status due to the historical threat that rabies poses to humans; as recently as my childhood in the 1960s

A puppy’s shot schedule is usually based on advice from the American Animal Hospital Association, which breaks vaccines for dogs into two categories: core and non-core.

Rabies is nearly always fatal to the animals (including humans) who become infected with the disease. That’s why vaccinating our dogs against this deadly virus is required by state law – in order to protect public health, by preventing transmission of this disease from infected wildlife to our pets and to us. Each states requires that dogs and cats be vaccinated for rabies every one, two, or three years.

I saw a news item over the weekend announcing that my state’s governor (California’s Jerry Brown) signed “Molly’s Bill” (AB 258), exempting certain dogs from the rabies vaccine requirement. Dogs whose lives would be endangered by the vaccination “due to disease or other considerations that a veterinarian can verify and document” -- as determined by a licensed veterinarian on an annual basis – now have a legal means of avoiding vaccination against rabies. California is the 14th state to sign such a bill into law.

Arkansas canines and their humans have very good reason to celebrate the start of the new decade. That state’s new rule allowing for a three-year rabies vaccine became effective January 1, 2010. This means dogs in Arkansas will need to be vaccinated only every three years (after their initial first-year booster) instead of annually, as was previously required.

Headline news over the weekend: South Caroline woman contracts rabies; first human case in that state in 50 years. This comes on the heels of hearing news from East Coast animal shelters that they’ve been seeing cases of rabies in cats. All in all, pretty alarming news. Today and in the U.S., most people take it for granted that rabies is a distant, old-timey threat, sort of like smallpox. But rabies has not been eradicated – far from it. It’s still common in wildlife, and a threat to any unvaccinated mammal who comes into contact with an infected species.

Determining what vaccines are necessary for dogs depends somewhat on his lifestyle. A stay-at-home dog doesn’t need as much protection as a dog encountering many other dogs.

If you’ve ever been going through the final illness, or the final, rough year of a beloved dog’s life, you know how easy it is to neglect the other, young, healthy dogs’ needs.

DHPP stands for distemper, canine viral hepatitis, and parvovirus (three “core” vaccines that every dog should receive), as well as parainfluenza, a “non-core” vaccine that is recommended by veterinarians based on a dog’s medical history and lifestyle). These are not the only vaccines that dogs need, however.

It is highly unlikely for a fox to attack a dog. Especially one that is accompanied by their human. However, a fox that is guarding newborn cubs, or is infected with the rabies virus might be aggressive so caution is warranted.