Woman dead, another injured after dog "suddenly snapped" and attacked them at animal shelter
A dog attacked two women at a Florida animal shelter on Thursday, killing one and leaving the other injured, police said.
CBS Miami reports the attack happened just before 11 a.m., as Broward Sheriff's deputies and Oakland Park Fire Rescue responded to 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida at 345 E Commercial Boulevard, after a 911 call was made reporting an animal bite.
When they arrived they found two women had been bitten.
"The two adult females are workers. One of them was working with the dog when apparently the dog suddenly snapped. The second adult female tried to aid the worker, but in the process, she herself got injured," said Broward Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Claudinne Caro.
One woman did not survive and the other suffered minor injuries.
According to the sheriff's office, the dog was a large mixed breed, recently rescued from the Everglades and brought to the rescue facility in Oakland Park.
"What I understand is the dog was a rescue and this is the first time the dog had some sort of incident like this where he snaps," Caro said.
CBS Miami reports the victim was identified as Pam Robb by her longtime partner, Angie Anobile.
"She had a love for those animals, she really did, and they responded very well to her," says Anobile. "This was just a fluke accident. No one did anything out of the ordinary."
In a Facebook post, the shelter wrote: "Our Hearts are Broken for our Dear Friend Pam."
Lindas Decurzio is a former volunteer at the rescue and follows their frequent social media posts. "I'm very shocked and I'm very upset. And I can't believe it," she told CBS Miami. "They take such wonderful care of these dogs. They're wonderful with these dogs and how something like this could happen, it's unbelievable."
The dog, named Gladys, was taken to Broward Animal Care where it was euthanized. A sample has been sent off to see if the dog had rabies.