HAMPTON — The McGraths are used to friendly critters stopping by their Little River Road backyard, but a frenetic visit Tuesday morning from their resident groundhog was anything but a welcomed encounter.

HAMPTON — The McGraths are used to friendly critters stopping by their Little River Road backyard, but a frenetic visit Tuesday morning from their resident groundhog was anything but a welcomed encounter.

Gary McGrath was unloading his truck when the roughly two-foot-long groundhog came barreling toward him. What started out as a comical sight quickly turned into a somewhat scary incident for the 65-year-old woodworker as he watched the plump animal running at a brisk jog in his direction.

“Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move, then it came running,” said McGrath. “I kicked it away, but then it got back up and came back at me again. I kicked it away again, and it came right back.”

That’s when McGrath ran into his garage and shut the door, only to have the groundhog circle around to the other side of the garage and get in through a different open door.

“He was out to get me,” said McGrath. “Fortunately he doesn’t run very fast, but neither do I.

“My first thought was, ‘He’s being awful friendly,’ when he came up to me the first time. He’s normally friendly. After he came after me again, I thought, ‘Wait, he wants something.’”

The groundhog, which McGrath’s grandchildren enjoy looking for when they come to visit, then bared its teeth as it chased McGrath into his house. It didn’t stop there, as McGrath said it the animal began digging at the glass-and-metal door, furiously attempting to bite and claw its way inside.

McGrath’s wife Carol suspects the groundhog was sick due to rabies. The animal was always docile when they encountered it previously, and Carol said she often enjoyed its presence because it would eat the weeds on their property.

“We were lucky,” she said of Tuesday's “crazy” and “freaky” ordeal. “You’re just in a kind of disbelief when something like that happens.”

The couple called Hampton Animal Control Officer Peter MacKinnon for help, watching in amazement as the groundhog continued to dig at the door and a corner of leaf-covered dirt next to the front stairs before MacKinnon arrived.

The groundhog also tried to attack MacKinnon when he got out of his truck, forcing him to jump back into the vehicle and slam the door before the animal could get inside. MacKinnon used a rifle to kill the animal after he exited his vehicle, and the groundhog’s body will now be tested for rabies.

McGrath wasn't injured and laughed several times while recounting the story Tuesday afternoon, although he said the incident should be taken seriously.

“I’ve had (enough excitement) for today,” said McGrath, adding that he didn’t have a name for the groundhog despite the fact that he has named his cars, tractor and furniture.

Tuesday wasn’t the first time the McGraths have encountered wild animals in their yard. A possibly rabid raccoon made an appearance over the summer and they’ve also found bobcat scat.

McGrath said he hopes his neighbors check their pets and be wary of possible sick animals in the area, especially because there are a number of dogs and cats wondering neighboring properties, some of which are owned by families with small children.

“The public should know,” said McGrath, noting that his son-in-law had to pay $5,000 to receive just one rabies shot after he was bitten by a bat in his Vermont home.

Aggressive, sick and injured animals can be reported directly to the Hampton’s animal control officer by contacting the Hampton Police Department at 929-4444.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends residents ensure their pets are up-to-date on all vaccines to avoid contraction of the rabies virus. The CDC also recommends to refrain from contact with wild and sick animals, to refrain from feeding them, and to contact local animal control authorities if they are sighted on local residential properties.

Additional information and tips about rabies can be found online at www.cdc.gov/rabies/prevention.

The groundhog incident came one day after a coyote attacked a woman in Greenland.