By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Massena Town Council Wednesday unanimously decided to pay dog control officer Bob Sommerfield up to $50 per animal to capture and kill wildlife suspected of having rabies.

Only dead animals can be tested – it requires opening up and examining the brain.

Sommerfield will only respond to daytime calls because it is normal for creatures such as skunks, raccoons, and bats to be active at night.

Town Clerk Georgette Davis pointed to a recent incident where a rabid raccoon attacked a dog in Massena during the daytime and both had to be put down because the dog had not been vaccinated.

At Tuesday’s village board meeting, officials read a letter from the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department urging residents to be sure their pets are vaccinated in light of a recent rash of confirmed cases.

The department urges citizens to not feed wild animals, to keep children away from wild or stray animals, not to keep them as pets, and to take measures to discourage wild animals from taking up residence in or around one’s property.

According to the department, there were five confirmed rabies cases -- four raccoons and a bat-- in St. Lawrence County between January and October 2012, the most recent time period for which figures were available.

Visit http://www.co.st-lawrence.ny.us/departments/publichealth/rabiescontrol for more information about rabies.