Police are warning pet owners of "zombie raccoons" in the Chicago-area that have tested positive for distemper, a deadly dog disease with no known cure.
It can also affect wildlife, where the infected animals have similar symptoms to rabies.
The American Veterinary Medical Association added that "canine distemper outbreaks in local raccoon populations can signal increased risk for pet dogs in the area."
Riverside Police Department Chief Tom Weitzel told the Chicago Tribune, "We've had a number of cases concerning raccoons with distemper in our jurisdiction. If you see a sick raccoon that may be a threat to public safety, call the police."
He added: "It seems every year around this time we get a rise in calls about raccoons acting oddly and we respond to calls about raccoons that may be a danger to the public. Our policy allows us to put down animals that are suffering or pose a threat to public safety."
So far, there have been three raccoons that tested positive for distemper, Weitzel said. All three were put down.
However, a fourth one was spotted by a resident near the Des Plaines River in Riverside.
She added that she found a neighbor to help pull the "zombie raccoon" out of the pool a second time.
"It seemed like it was really just unsure of where it was at and then as it looked at you, it really looked like it was just looking right through you. There wasn’t any kind of fear or any kind of reaction whatsoever," Wojtowicz's neighbor, Sean Cimino, told Fox 32 News.
Meanwhile, a Cook County Animal & Rabies Control spokesperson, Natalie Derevyanny, told Fox 32 News everyone in the county should be wary of the disease.
"Really people throughout the county should be on alert. What we're asking people to do is making sure that they are with their animals, when they're on walks, that their animals are leashed," she said.
Police said to keep a close eye on pets, even in fenced-in yards, adding that while the disease isn't contagious to humans, anyone that sees a "zombie raccoon" should report it.