Duncan Cameron was walking his dog Naima near his home in Denver’s Speer neighborhood last summer when he spotted a family of raccoons.

He crossed the street to give the mother and her kits some space. Then a nightmare scenario unfolded: One of the young raccoons darted from the group and pounced on Naima.

“It was like the creature in ‘Alien.’ It just latched onto her and wouldn’t let go,” he said.

After Cameron desperately kicked the fuzzy assailant, it finally released his pup and then chased them both down the street. The event left Naima, an Australian cattle dog mix, with a bite mark and Cameron with a few scratches. Even though the raccoon appeared to be aggressive rather than rabid, Cameron decided to get rabies shots, just to be safe. Once symptoms appear, rabies is virtually a

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