11:45 PM CST on Friday, March 31, 2006

By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA-TV

WFAA

Dr. Stephen Chambless is undergoing rabies shots.

AUBREY — An Aubrey man is recovering from an attack in his bedroom by a rabid skunk.

Nearly a dozen wild animals have tested positive for rabies so far this year in Denton County.

And experts say this is the time of year to be on the look out for sick animals.

It was a rude awakening for 76-year-old Dr. Stephen Chambless the morning a wild skunk wandered into his bedroom.

"It was looking for someone to bite and sure enough - he got me," Chambless said.

The skunk entered through an open door, and it didn't take long for Chambless to figure out this was more than just a visit from a curious animal.

"He came at me five or six times, and I'd push it back and it kept trying. It was obvious he was looking for me to bite because he ignored the dog."

Chambless managed to chase the skunk out - and beat it. Tests later revealed the skunk had rabies.

Experts say anytime you see a nocturnal animal out during the day it almost certainly means something is seriously wrong, and this time of year, the first thing that comes to mind is rabies.

"I think we've seen seven cases of rabies in skunks and several more in bats we know that rabies is out there," said Dr. Bing Burton, administrator of the Denton County Health Department.

Chambless is almost finished with his painful course of rabies vaccine shots.

All he's got to remind him of the experience is a "get well" note from his granddaughter and a faint scar. Not that he'll need any reminder of what it was like to wake up to a rabid skunk.

"I tell you, it was a nightmare, really," he said.

E-mail rrodriguez@wfaa.com