This is a raccoon, but not the rabid raccoon. (Photo by Jim Whiteley)

A rabid raccoon was captured in Chevy Chase and euthanized after it attacked three people over the weekend. Two pets were also exposed to the raccoon.

On Sunday morning, D.C. Animal Control received a call that the raccoon had been spotted around 32nd Street and Nebraska Ave NW, according to a press release from the D.C. Department of Health. Animal Control caught the raccoon at 2:10 p.m. and it was euthanized shortly thereafter. Tests after the animal’s death confirmed that it was infected with rabies, according to the release.

The Department of Health says all three people attacked have been treated for exposure to rabies, and the two exposed pets were given booster shots and put in confinement.

If you were exposed to a raccoon over the weekend, particularly in Northwest Washington, the Department of Health recommends calling them at (202) 442-9143. If it’s not treated quickly after exposure, rabies is fatal. Infected animal bites are the most common way rabies is passed to humans. (More guidance on rabies here).

Tom Lalley, a public information officer at DOH, says raccoons are the most common rabies-infected animals in this region. He says while cases like this are somewhat rare, at least a few animals per year turn up with a case of rabies in the District. As recently as May, four people were treated for rabies after they were bitten by an aggressive raccoon near Georgetown.

Lalley also says that, contrary to popular belief, treatment for rabies is not extraordinarily painful or complicated. “A few shots … and you’re done,” he says.