ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Residents of the Lake Estates in Putnam County, Florida, heard the terrible screams coming from postal worker Pamela Rock as she was attacked by escaped dogs over the weekend.
The 61-year-old mail courier's vehicle broke down on Walker Drive when the incident happened, Putnam County Colonel Joseph Wells said during an earlier news conference.
"One of the neighbors even brought his firearm along and fired several shots into the air and to the ground in an attempt to disrupt the attack," Wells said.
However, it wasn't until neighbors and the dog's owners physically pulled the animals off of Rock to stop the attack.
The Melrose, Fla., woman was described by residents as the "sweetest." Tyler Neelon, 24, a neighbor of the dogs’ owner, told the New York Times that on Sundays, Rock would often place an apple alongside residents’ mail inside mailboxes.
She died of her injuries a day after the attack.
Local law enforcement was no stranger to the area when it came to animals. During the news conference, Wells said over the past three years there had been a total of four responses to animal-related calls. He believed that those calls were about the same dogs, although confirmation is still pending.
One neighbor told First Coast News that dogs have been running rampant in the area for months.
Deputies learned that the dogs were able to escape by moving rocks that were lined along the fence meant to keep them secure.
"The dogs had been well secured for a period of time. And that they [neighhors] didn't suspect anything like this until they heard the lady screaming," Wells said.
Neighbor Mary Champbell told the New York Times that the dogs “jumped the fence all the time,” causing occasional chaos in the neighborhood. Reportedly, the dogs even killed a chihuahua.
Campbell told the newspaper that she had stopped letting her daughter walk to and from the school bus stop on the block, fearful that the dogs would again escape their fence. She said the dog owner was an older man who had acted apathetic when she confronted him about his dogs.
County authorities say the dogs are scheduled to be euthanized after the investigation is complete.
Currently, the incident is still being investigated, and there is a possibility that the owner could face charges. Deputies did not release the name of the owner.
The USPS said in a statement:
"A postal family member lost her life in a dog bite attack. The U.S. Postal Service is deeply saddened at the loss of our employee. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and her co-workers at this time."
The USPS recommends keeping dogs inside the house, behind a fence, away from the door or on a leash when postal workers drop off mail. The postal service also recommends that children do not take mail directly from the postal carrier as dogs could view the carrier as a threat.
This isn't the first time the county has had an investigation like this before, said Wells. The previous incident happened in 2011 and the owner was charged with misdemeanors related to the attack.
CNN reported that more than 5,400 postal employees were attacked by dogs in the United States in 2021, according to data released by the U.S. Postal Service in June. Florida was one of the top 10 states for dog bites, with 201 incidents reported last year, according to USPS.