Officials with Toronto Public Health say they now have 12 puppies in quarantine after a recent rabies scare at a Toronto flea market.
After fielding as many as 900 calls from people concerned they had come into contact with a rabid puppy at the market, officials have referred about 70 people to their doctors for a vaccination against the disease.
The sick puppy was being held at a vending booth with about a dozen other dogs. The dogs were all sold.
The people who unknowingly bought the rabid puppy brought the animal to the Humane Society after realizing it was sick. Tests revealed the dog had contracted rabies, which prompted health officials to issue a public alert.
That dog and at least one other puppy from the booth have died.
In humans, rabies can be fatal if left untreated. Flu-like symptoms are often the first signs of rabies in humans.
So far, there are no known human cases linked to the flea market incident.
Allen Koffman, the owner of Dr. Flea's Flea Market, says it is the first such incident in the market's 20 years of operation. The business is located at Highway 27 and Albion Road.
Koffman says the vendor who sold the infected puppy runs a clean operation.
"He's been here for a year-and-a-half. He's sold probably well over 300 dogs, and has made a lot of people happy," Koffman told CTV Toronto Friday.
"It's an unfortunate situation that has happened. He feels very badly about it, and we feel very badly about it."
