VARNELL, Ga. — The body of a dog that attacked a 14-year-old boy in Varnell Thursday afternoon will be sent to a state lab to be tested for rabies, officials say.

Police Chief Kyle Moreno said the attack happened around 12:20 p.m. on Kirkpatrick Street.

Moreno said that when officers arrived they attempted to find the dog’s owner to restrain it, “but the dog charged another citizen,” forcing one of the officers to have to shoot the dog, killing it. The dog was described as an American bulldog or bulldog mix.

Moreno said the boy suffered bite wounds to one calf and one hand that were not life-threatening. The boy was taken to Hamilton Medical Center. The dog’s owner was cited for having an unrestrained dog.

Because the owner could not show the dog had been vaccinated for rabies, the dog’s body was turned over to the Whitfield County Environmental Health Department. Jennifer King, public information officer for the North Georgia Health District, said the body will be sent to a lab on Monday for rabies testing, which will likely take two or three days.

King said pet owners should have all of their animals vaccinated for rabies.