In a remote area of northern Florida over the weekend, a 61-year-old postal worker was killed after being mauled by five dogs, according to sheriff’s officials. According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the postal worker, Pamela Jane Rock of Melrose, was in the Interlachen Lake Estates region on Sunday after her car broke down.
According to witnesses who spoke to the Sheriff’s Office, residents heard a woman yell for aid and ran outside to discover Rock attacking the woman on the ground with five dogs. The owners of the dogs and a number of nearby residents sprang to get the dogs off Rock. In an effort to stop the onslaught, one of the neighbors even brought his gun along and fired three shots into the air and at the ground, according to Putnam County Sheriff Chief Deputy Colonel Joseph Wells.
After the attempt failed, the dogs had to be physically removed from Rock by the owners and neighbors, according to Wells. The canines had returned to their owner’s property by the time deputies arrived. According to the sheriff’s office, the mail carrier was heavily bleeding and lying on the ground. While waiting for rescue teams, deputies applied tourniquets and administered first aid.
Rock was taken to a local hospital and then flown in serious condition to a trauma center in Gainesville. She passed away from her wounds Monday night, according to the sheriff’s office. The US Postal Service said in June that more than 5,400 postal workers throughout the country were bitten by dogs in 2021. With 201 incidents reported last year, Florida was one of the top 10 states for dog bites, according to USPS.
Wells stated that the incident’s inquiry is “quite active.” As we continue to investigate our possibilities for potential criminal proceedings, we are in constant contact with the state attorney’s office, he said. According to Wells, a preliminary inquiry found that the dogs had escaped from a gated yard after they had managed to shift the boulders surrounding the barrier.
Five canines that were identified by witnesses as being involved in the attack were taken into custody by animal control officers after they were called to the scene. The canines will be put down humanely after the owner gave up possession, according to the sheriff’s office.
Although it’s unclear if the complaints included the same canines, Wells claimed that the sheriff’s office and animal control had previously attended to the neighborhood on many occasions for animal reports. Wells stated, “We have spoken with those witnesses and are seeking to establish that these dogs are the same. “We suspect that there have been further service requests involving these pets, and we are currently examining these requests.”
The dogs have been a bother for a long, according to neighbors, who told CNN affiliate News4JAX that the canines are known to climb the fence or emerge from underneath it. Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach said, “Our sympathies are with the victim and her family as they work through this awful occurrence. For the protection of their pets and others around them, dog owners must take responsibility for keeping their pets in a secure location.
When postal workers deliver mail, the USPS advises keeping dogs inside the home, behind a fence, far from the door, or on a leash. Additionally, because dogs could see the mail carrier as a danger, the postal office advises against youngsters taking mail straight from the mail carrier.
