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Rabies is an incurable, lethal disease that causes inflammation of the brain in certain mammals, including dogs and humans. The disease is usually transmitted by a bite from an infected animal. Rabies can take months to incubate, during which time the afflicted host looks and feels healthy. By the time symptoms show (headache, fever, muscle spasms, mania and depression, an inability to swallow, coma), the disease is nearly 100% fatal.

U.S. law requires cat and dog owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies every three years.

Rabies vaccines had not yet been developed during the era in which To Kill a Mockingbird is set, so a rabid dog would have indiscriminately killed any human or other animal it bit, and the illness would have spread rapidly through the community.

Today, as in the 1930s, animals believed to be rabid are killed.

The rabid dog in To Kill a Mockingbird symbolizes racism, because, as with rabies, racism spreads like a deadly disease until stopped. Atticus' stand against the town in his attempt to ensure Tom Robinson a fair trial is analogous to his quiet, but powerful, response to the threatening dog.

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What chapter is the rabid dog in to kill a mockingbird?

The rabid dog incident in "To Kill a Mockingbird" occurs in Chapter 10 when Atticus shoots the dog, Tim Johnson, to protect the town from his rabies infection.


Scouts feeling are reminiscent of what day?

The day her dad shot the rabid dog.


What does Atticus break when he went to face the dog?

Atticus breaks his glasses while trying to shoot the rabid dog in a single shot. Despite his poor eyesight without them, he is still able to successfully shoot the dog.


In which chapter does Atticus shoot the dog?

Atticus shoots Tom Johnson in Chapter 10, on page 127, line number 12.


What sheriff asked atticus to shoot Tim Johnson?

Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb, asked Atticus Finch to shoot Tim Johnson, the rabid dog, because he believed Atticus was the best shot in town. Atticus reluctantly agrees and demonstrates his excellent marksmanship by taking down the rabid dog with a single shot.


What crisis shows the children a surprising skill their father possesses in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the crisis where Atticus shoots a rabid dog demonstrates to his children, Scout and Jem, his exceptional marksmanship skills. These skills surprise the children, as Atticus's shooting ability was previously unknown to them.


Who does Atticus shoot and kill?

When a rabid "mad" dog enters town, the sheriff asks Atticus to shoot it. Atticus is a sharpshooter, a skill he does not broadcast.


Why does atticus only shoot when it is an emergereny?

Atticus did not like killing. He was an excellent marksman, but rarely fired a gun. He only fired that day when a rabid dog threatened the town and his children.


What gun did Atticus Finch use to shoot the dog?

in the movie it looked like a Krag-Jørgensen


What did people nickname call atticus when he shot the dog?

He shot Tim Johnson, the pet of Maycomb. Tim Johnson is a liver-colored bird dog. Atticus shot him because Tom was acting weirdly and was in the stage of terrorizing the neighborhood and Atticus brought him down with a bullet. (:


How did Atticus kill the dog and why?

Atticus shot the dog because he was rabid, and Atticus was the best shot in town.


Why does Heck Tate want Atticus to shoot the dog?

Heck Tate wants Atticus to shoot the dog because he knows that Atticus is the best shooter in Maycomb and he wants the dog to be put down before it harms anyone. Heck Tate knows that Atticus is the most skilled marksman and can take down the dog with one shot to prevent any danger to the community.