Galen said before the fox could strike, he hit it over the head with the plank. State officials removed the dead fox, and Maine's Center for Disease Control confirmed the animal tested positive for rabies.
"I've had fox around here, but I've never had an experience like this," Galen told the Boston Globe.
According to the Press Herald, Galen was the third person to encounter a rabid fox in the Brunswick area in the past 10 days. On June 17, two residents were attacked by a fox that was later killed by a police officer.
Galen said he had heard earlier reports about rabid foxes in the area, prompting him to strike the animal before it had a chance to attack.
"I really want to emphasize that I was really relieved that the animal was indeed rabid," he told the Globe. "I felt badly about killing it."
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