Five dogs have been confiscated from former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield’s property following an attack that required the hospitalization of a postal carrier Thursday.
The dogs are described as pit bull/Labrador retriever mixes, said interim Catawba Police Chief Michael Nash.
Catawba police got a 911 call just after 10 a.m. from the Mayfield home at 6397 Hudson Chapel Road, reporting the attack, said Catawba Fire Chief Donald Robinson.
A female postal worker, identified as Mary Bolton, 32, of Catawba, was delivering a package that was too big to fit in Mayfield’s oversized mailbox. She drove through the gate, past the “No Trespassing” sign and the “Beware of Dogs” sign as she made her way to the Mayfield house.
She encountered a group of five dogs. They attacked her.
“She had a bad laceration on her left arm and bites all over her legs and shoulders,” Robinson said.
Mayfield heard the commotion. He came out and shouted at the dogs. They scattered, and he carried Bolton in his arms into his home, Robinson said.
The Mayfields called 911, and Bolton was taken to Catawba Valley Medical Center for treatment.
Animal Control officers were able to capture four of the dogs Thursday. The fifth one was captured at about 1 p.m. Friday.
The dogs have been captured and put into quarantine at Catawba County Animal Services where they will remain for a minimum of 10 days, Nash said.
Nash said the investigation is ongoing and no charges or citations have been filed.
Bolton’s neighbors were shocked to hear about the dog attack.
“It’s unbelievable that this happened to her,” said Thomas Graham. “She’s a sweet woman. She’s a good neighbor.”
His girlfriend agreed.
“My prayers are with her and her family,” said Kelsi Chisom.
The Catawba Postmaster said she drove the carrier’s car back to the Catawba Post Office after the attack while the carrier was in the hospital. She said her employee is out of the hospital and recovering, but is in a lot of pain.
She refused to answer additional questions about the incident.
Letter carriers often targets of dogs
More than 3,000 letter carriers were attacked by dogs in the United States last year – the only group attacked more often was children, said Enola Rice, North Carolina’s spokeswoman for the United States Postal Service.
“Our carriers receive ongoing training on how to handle dogs,” she said. “They learn how to recognize signs and look out for the possibility that a dog might attack.”
Each letter carrier is required to carry a can of pepper spray to ward off a dog attack and they’re taught tactics to avoid confrontations.
“Don’t run past the dog,” Rice said. “Avoid eye contact. Don’t approach a strange dog.”
When a letter carrier is attacked on the job, the USPS contacts local law enforcement and initiates its own investigation.
Rice declined to discuss Thursday’s attack on Mary Bolton in Catawba citing the ongoing investigation.
“The main thing that’s really important is that dog owners be responsible pet owners,” she said. “We ask that dog owners restrain their dogs when their letter carriers are expected.”
Carriers who spot dogs running loose are not allowed to exit their vehicles, Rice said. Repeated incidents of vicious dogs running loose can result in the cancellation of deliveries until a remedy is achieved.
When it comes to adherence to “No trespassing” or “Beware of dog” signs, letter carriers are to be guided by whatever agreement they’ve reached with the property owner concerning deliveries. The same applies to whether a carrier will leave a notice for a package to be picked up at the post office or whether the package will be left at the customer’s house.
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