Bloody postal worker found on garage floor after 2 dogs attacked, Georgia deputies say
.jpg "A postal worker was attacked by two dogs when she was delivering a package to a home for the first time, Georgia deputies said.")
A postal worker was found bloody and motionless on a garage floor with two dogs standing over her body, Georgia deputies said.
The 36-year-old U.S. Postal Service carrier was delivering to the home in Statesboro for the first time Jan. 19, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office said in an incident report.
As she dropped off the package by the door, the two dogs began to attack her, authorities said.
A woman told deputies she was on the phone with the mail carrier when the dogs attacked shortly before 7 a.m.
She said she drove to the home and began to beep her car horn at the dogs, but they continued to attack her, so she called 911.
When first responders arrived, they found the woman in the garage “completely nude, bloody and not moving,” a deputy wrote in the report.
The dogs wouldn’t let anyone in the garage, so a deputy shot one of them with a rubber-ball round, according to the report. The dog ran off, and the other dog was contained in the corner while medical personnel got the woman out.
The woman was airlifted to a hospital, where she is recovering, WTOC reported.
The homeowner said his dogs have never bitten anyone before, according to deputies. Animal control left the dogs in the care of their owner.
“The Postal Service is deeply saddened about the recent incident involving a rural carrier from the Statesboro Post Office,” USPS said in a statement shared with McClatchy News. “Our condolences go out to the employee, their family, friends and coworkers.”
Mail carriers receive dog bite awareness training, a USPS spokesperson said. They carry pepper spray and can use their mail bags as a soft shield to protect themselves against these kinds of attacks.
“If a loose dog is known to be on the carrier’s delivery route, the address can be programmed into their delivery scanner, and an alert will pop up when they approach that area to warn them,” the agency said.
Statesboro is about 60 miles northwest of Savannah.
What to know about dog attacks
More than 5,300 USPS employees were attacked by dogs while doing deliveries in 2022, the agency said.
“Dogs give us comfort, companionship, exercise, entertainment, and unconditional love,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “But it’s important to remember that any dog can bite, even trusted family pets.”
Dogs bite more than 4.5 million people each year in the U.S., and nearly 800,000 of those people need medical attention, according to the CDC.
Any dog can bite if they feel scared or nervous, or if they want to be alone. You should never approach a dog that seems angry or scared, the CDC said.
If an unfamiliar dog comes up to you, officials say you should:
Stay calm and be still.
Avoid eye contact with the dog.
Don’t panic or make loud noises. Don’t run.
Say “no” or “go home” in a deep voice. Stand with the side of your body toward the dog.
Slowly raise your hands to your neck and back away slowly.
This story was originally published January 24, 2024 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Bloody postal worker found on garage floor after 2 dogs attacked, Georgia deputies say."