The parvovirus, a deadly, contagious virus that mainly affects dogs, is spreading throughout Maine, shuttering dog parks in Aroostook County this week in what one police department described as a “rampant Parvovirus outbreak.”

The Houlton police released a public service announcement Sunday declaring that there were “several” confirmed cases of the virus in that community. The next day, both Caribou and Fort Fairfield announced their dog parks would be closed indefinitely.

A national parvovirus tracker produced by animal health company Elanco displays a high risk of the virus in Maine. It listed 29 cases in the state as of Wednesday afternoon, though none North of Hancock County, which has 20 current cases, according to the tracker.

Caribou’s parks and recreation superintendent

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