Postmen are known to be wary of dogs, and for good reason. The death of Erin McCleskey proves more than ever that delivery men and women of all kinds need to be hyper-alert of any animals in the area and prepared to protect themselves from such threats. McCleskey, a 36-year-old process server from Austin, Texas, was tragically killed by violent dogs on the property where she needed to serve papers for a civil trial.
This attack occurred in June, and authorities have now studied and analyzed the incident to deduce how the events took place. It is believed that nobody was home when McCleskey arrived on the property and entered through the front gate. In fact, the owner, Terry Swanson, reported that he was out of town at the time and was paying another person to care for the dogs a few times a day. Since that caretaker left the dogs to roam free in the gated yard, they attacked McCleskey when she entered.
In total, authorities found six Labrador/Great Pyrenees dogs and 14 puppies. Swanson’s neighbors spoke to reporters and explained that they have always been bothered and frightened by his dogs, who have a reputation for running free through the streets. One neighbor couldn’t even let her children ride their bikes outside in fear of being bitten. However, the animal centers in the area claim they have no prior complaints involving Swanson’s dogs.
Now the owner of the dogs who killed McCleskey is appealing a court order to have his dogs put down. The appeal will be handled by a different judge than the one who ordered the dogs to be euthanized at the end of June. Swanson has now found a lawyer, and the results are yet to be delivered.
McCleskey’s death has caused immense heartbreak to her family, friends, and company. All process servers are trained to deal with violent dogs and use situational awareness, but this awful accident is a reminder that process servers need to exhaust every bit of care when approaching an unknown property.
